Lindsay Whalen has stepped down from her job as head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers women’s basketball team.
The stunning announcement was made Thursday afternoon by University of Minnesota athletics director Mark Coyle, who issued a statement saying he has “tremendous” respect for Whalen and thanked her for “her hard work and dedication” as a player and coach.
Whalen’s Gophers finished this season 11-19 and lost to Penn State in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament on Wednesday in front of a home crowd inside the Target Center in Minneapolis.
“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.”
Whalen will stay on with the Gophers as a special assistant to Coyle through April 12, 2025.
Under Whalen, Minnesota went 71-76 overall and 32-58 in the Big Ten.
The university says a national search for her replacement “will begin immediately.”
