Gophers hire Colorado State's Niko Medved as men's basketball coach
The University of Minnesota has found its next men's basketball coach.
The Gophers announced Monday that they've hired Colorado State's Niko Medved. The university says they've agreed to a six-year term with Medved, which is pending approval from the Board of Regents.
Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle officially introduced Medved at a news conference on Tuesday.
"There is no doubt in my mind that we have found the right person to lead our young men and lead this program," Coyle said.
The 51-year-old Minneapolis native and U of M grad is the school's 19th head coach of the men's basketball program.
"This job was too special to pass up and when the opportunity presented itself, I had to take it," Medved said in a written release from the university. "I grew up a Gopher about 15 minutes away from 'The Barn.' I went to school here, was a student manager here and coached here. This is a special place, it's home, and I cannot wait to get started."
Medved's Rams made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before losing on a buzzer beater to Maryland on Sunday. He led Colorado State to three NCAA Tournament appearances in seven seasons. He went 143-85 in his time there and has a career record of 222-172. Medved was the head coach at Furman and Drake before heading to Fort Collins.
The university fired previous coach Ben Johnson following a disappointing 15-17 season that ended with a first-round exit in the Big Ten Tournament. Johnson, a Minneapolis native and former Gophers player, had two seasons left on his contract, requiring a $2.92 million buyout. His $1.95 million annual salary was the lowest in the conference.
In four seasons, Johnson coached the Gophers to a 56-71 overall record, with a 22-57 record in the Big Ten. Minnesota failed to make the NCAA Tournament during his tenure. Medved gave some words of encouragement to Johnson on Tuesday.
"Ben's going to get another opportunity to be a head coach if that's what he chooses and he's going to be terrific," Medved said. "I hope Ben knows he's always welcome around Gopher basketball."
The new coach inherits a roster that has lost significant talent to the transfer portal, waning attendance at home games and newfound Division I competition in the University of St. Thomas. College basketball itself is also in a time of transition with the advent of name, image and likeness money for players.
"I believe Minnesota and the Big Ten, with what's moving forward now, is going to be positioned from a rev share, NIL perspective to compete," Medved said. "I believe that the people from the top down understand that that's what it's going to take for us to compete."
Medved said between the community, the facilities and support from leadership, the Gophers have "everything it takes here to be successful."
While he said it would be "amazing" to get back to the NCAA Tournament in year one in Minnesota, his goals are more long-term.
"I think the big thing is we want to build something sustainable here," Medved said. "We want to have sustained success"
