Niko Medved was introduced as the next coach of the Gophers men’s basketball team on Tuesday afternoon in Dinkytown.
He spoke for nearly 30 minutes during his introductory press conference that, in many ways, was the antithesis of the performance P.J. Fleck put on when he was introduced as the next coach of the Gophers football team nearly a decade ago.
No talk of being elite. No talk of running into the fire. No talk of eating difficult conversations for breakfast.
It was much more pragmatic approach from Medved, a Roseville native who oozed Minnesota Dad Energy while detailing a path that started with him serving as a student manager with the Gophers roughly 30 years ago, then came full circle this week when he was hired as the man in charge of leading the program into the future.
“Now is the time,” Medved said. “Now is the time more than ever that Minnesota is poised to take the next step.”
Is it? That might hinge on Medved’s ability to channel his inner Fleck.
It’s not going to be an easy task stepping into the spotlight with the Gophers struggling to stay relevant amid the changing landscape of college athletics. The lack of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) budget compared to some of their peers has made the transfer portal a nightmare to navigate.
Just ask Ben Johnson, the former U basketball coach who struggled to keep some of his best players from leaving for more money elsewhere.
In an interview with KFAN radio host Dan Barreiro last week, Richard Pitino offered some advice to whoever took over, and he’d be a pretty good person to listen to as another former coach of the Gophers men’s basketball team.
Though he covered many topics about the program itself, perhaps his most interesting point came when speaking about the importance of establishing a brand that can become recognizable to even the most casual fans.
If Medved needs an example of how to do that, he doesn’t have to look any further than Fleck.
Never mind that Fleck’s personality might rub people the wrong way. The man knows how to build a brand in a way that is authentic to who he is at his core. He has stayed true to himself since his introductory press conference and has established his “Row The Boat” slogan as a brand in the process.
All the catchphrases from Fleck that might illicit an eye roll here and there have been woven into the fabric of the program. The culture that Fleck has cultivated gets players to stick around, fans to show up, and maybe most importantly, boosters to write checks.
It would be wise for Medved to mold himself in Fleck’s image.
That doesn’t mean Medved needs to act like Fleck. He simply has to connect with people the same way Fleck does.
You have to get people to care. It’s the only way the Gophers are going to succeed in a game that’s seemingly rigged for them to fail.
The elephant in the room was something Medved addressed multiple times in his introductory press conference as it seemed like every other question led back to Name, Image, and Likeness in some way, shape or form.
“I believe there are plenty of people here who want to get behind and support this program,” Medved said. “It’s our job getting people to believe in what we’re doing and be like, ‘This is a program that I really want to get behind.’”
That will start and stop with Medved. He has to be the person who can make up for all of the other shortcomings. That’s what the Gophers hired him to be.
You got a glimpse of how Medved will go about his business when brought up his “Team Together” slogan that will be coming with him.
“It’s going to take everybody to be successful,” Medved said. “I’ve seen Minnesotans come together and support something unlike anything. I’ve seen it done here before. I believe we can do that again.”
That sounds nothing like Fleck, and that’s kind of the point.
The authenticity with which Medved speaks will be his biggest superpower. He’s a Minnesotan himself, so he knows Minnesotans better than most. He knows what resonates with them, and he will have to use that to his advantage.
“I can’t wait to pour my heart and soul into this,” Medved said. “You can count on me to do that.”
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