Mere hours after their 2022-23 season wrapped up unceremoniously in a Big Ten Tournament loss to Penn State, the Minnesota Golden Gophers are now in need of a new head women’s basketball coach.
On Thursday, the University of Minnesota announced that head coach Lindsay Whalen is stepping down as head coach, effective immediately. Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle thanked Whalen for her service and called her “one of the greatest alums and ambassadors this University has ever produced.”
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Lindsay,” Coyle said, via GopherSports.com. “I want to thank Lindsay for her hard work and dedication as a player and as the head coach of our women’s basketball program. She is one of the greatest alums and ambassadors this University has ever produced and her legacy of being a Minnesota icon is etched in stone.”
Whalen also released a statement, thanking Coyle and the school for the opportunity.
“I want to thank Mark and the University for giving me the opportunity to lead this program five years ago,” said Whalen. “It was an honor of a lifetime. I am grateful to my assistant coaches and staff and want to thank them for everything they did for our student-athletes during the last five years. We did things the right way and created a lot of memories, but now is the right time for me to step aside and return to being a proud alum. I look forward to supporting and cheering on the next head coach.”
Director of Athletics Mark Coyle and Lindsay Whalen announced today that Whalen will step down as head coach, effective immediately.
The #Gophers will hold a press conference at 3 pm, streamed on Minnesota’s YouTube channel.https://t.co/rYagI1YQvh
— Minnesota Women’s Basketball (@GopherWBB) March 2, 2023
As a player, Lindsay Whalen was one of the most decorated players in WNBA history, winning four league titles and retiring as the WNBA’s all-time leader in playoff assists.
Minnesota was her first head coaching job since she retired, joining her alma mater in 2018.
Early on it appeared that Whalen might have the Golden Gophers on the path to glory. They went 21-11 in her first year, reaching the second round of the WNIT that year. But over the next four years the Golden Gophers would have only one season over .500.
This past year was the most trying of all as they went 11-19 and just 4-14 against their Big Ten rivals.