Gophers hire Colorado State’s Niko Medved as men’s basketball coach

If not for a buzzer-beater by Maryland on Sunday night, Niko Medved would still be coaching in the Sweet 16 with Colorado State this week.

But if that loss did one thing, it sped up the process for Medved to return home to his alma mater and get started on injecting life into the Gophers men’s basketball program.

“This really is a dream job for me,” Medved said in a news release after the Gophers officially hired him Monday to replace Ben Johnson as their new men’s basketball coach.

Medved’s season ended with a 72-71 loss against Maryland in the NCAA second round. The Rams had upset Memphis in the first round, marking the first time in program history they had won an NCAA tournament game in back-to-back seasons.

“Niko’s coaching stands with anyone in the Big Ten,” ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla said. “There’s no question in my mind about that. This is no disrespect to the great coaches in that league.”

Medved, a U graduate and former Gophers assistant, signed a six-year deal that is pending Board of Regents approval and a background check. His salary is expected to be around $3 million a year with potential increases after the first season, according to sources.

“This job was too special to pass up and when the opportunity presented itself, I had to take it,” Medved said in the release. “This is a special place, it’s home, and I cannot wait to get started.”

Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle had his eyes on Medved early after firing Johnson following a 15-17 record in his fourth season. Coyle, who met with Medved in Colorado on Monday morning, didn’t hire a search firm to fill the opening.

“This is an exciting day for our program, our University and our state,” Coyle said in the news release. “[Medved] is extremely passionate about coaching and developing young men and takes great pride in being from Minnesota. He has had success everywhere he has been.”

Medved is 222-172 in 12 seasons as a head coach, including at Drake and Furman. He went 143-85 in seven seasons at Colorado State, including at least 25 wins and NCAA tournament bids in three of the past four seasons.

“I loved my time at Colorado State, and I worked with tremendous people who made a lasting impact on my life,” Medved said.

The 51-year-old Roseville High School graduate got his start as a Gophers student manager under Clem Haskins and then as associate head coach at Macalester from 1997-99.

Medved paid his dues as a Division I assistant for 14 seasons, with stops at Furman (1999-2006), Minnesota (2006-07) and Colorado State (2007-13). At Furman under Larry Davis and at Colorado State under Tim Miles and Larry Eustachy, Medved was part of rebuilding programs.

“We had five great years together,” said Miles, now at San Jose State. “Niko is a dynamic recruiter. He covers every facet of the recruiting process. He’s very thorough.”

Furman hired Medved for his first head coaching job in 2013. The Paladins went from 9-21 in Medved’s first season to Southern Conference regular-season champions during a 23-11 season in 2016-17.

“First thing I would say about him is as a recruiter he has a tremendous eye for talent,” said Davis, who first worked with Medved on Haskins’ staff. “Part of the reason he’s had so much success at every stop he’s been at, he recognizes kid’s ability that other people sometimes miss, or they underestimate how good they can be. That will serve him well at [Minnesota].”

The transfer portal opened Monday. It remains to be seen if any Rams players follow Medved to Minnesota. But he developed guard Kyan Evans and big man Rashaan Mbemba into sophomore starters this season. Medved developed underrated prospects into NBA talents, including ex-Breck forward David Roddy, former guard Isaiah Stevens and current All-American wing Nique Clifford.

“I really can’t thank Coach Medved and the rest of the staff enough for what they have done for me,” said Clifford after breaking Colorado State’s single-season scoring record Sunday. “They really changed my life.”

With three different programs improving under his direction, Medved will be asked to work the same miracles back home. The Gophers were 22-57 in Big Ten play in four seasons under Johnson, who went 7-13 in the Big Ten with 10 seniors this year.

Johnson’s best season was 2023-24 when the Gophers finished 19-15 and reached the second round of the NIT. The following season, he couldn’t replace the talent lost to the NBA draft and transfer portal because of insufficient NIL backing.

Coyle vowed to pump more money into men’s basketball recruiting with NIL and pending revenue sharing payments. People in and around the program have estimated that a combined amount available for Gophers players next season could be up to $4-5 million.

Last year, Medved received a contract extension through 2030-31. His buyout was reportedly 33% remaining owed on his contract. Johnson’s buyout was $2.93 million.

“Ben did an admirable job,” Fraschilla said. “Once they made a change, Niko was the logical choice. It’s not going to be his coaching or his fit at the university or the community that will be the issue with Niko. We’ve seen even great coaches if they don’t manage the transfer portal and or don’t have the resources in NIL, they’re not as successful.”