Gophers athletics director Mark Coyle left the scorers table at the NCAA tournament game between Iowa State and Mississippi in Milwaukee on Sunday night. His prospective new men’s basketball coach, Niko Medved and Colorado State were going down the wire against Maryland in Seattle.
From a quiet room inside Fiserv Forum, the Rams took a lead in the final seconds, and Coyle’s daughter Grace asked, “What are we going to do” if Colorado State won and advanced to the Sweet 16?
“I was cheering for Colorado State because I wanted them to win,” Coyle said Tuesday. “But I said, ‘We are waiting.’ Grace Coyle had a good scoop. We were going to wait until they finished their tournament.”
Maryland hit the first buzzer-beater of March Madness seconds later and Grace’s question was moot. Medved was available to sign with Minnesota, and he was introduced at a news conference Tuesday on the U’s practice facility court.
Coyle moved quickly toward a new coach after firing Ben Johnson on March 13. He talked with Medved when the Rams were going into the Mountain West region and through the first round NCAA Tournament win over Memphis.
“I can tell you in my early conversations with Niko, I felt we were in a really, really good spot,” Coyle said.
Medved and the school have agreed to a six-year deal that still requires approval from the Board of Regents.
Coyle prides himself on personally making coaching hires with some help from other U staffers. He keeps lists of candidates and doesn’t use search firms.
“We started to work on lists in February, early March,” Coyle said.
On the day Johnson was fired, Coyle immediately heard from other coaches’ agents. But were there other serious candidates?
“In terms of how many people we talked to, it was a very focused group,” Coyle said.
Thoughts on The Barn
From afar, Medved has heard “knocks” on the nearly 100-year-old Williams Arena, but he doesn’t buy that The Barn makes it tough to win at the U.
“I think we can turn that into a strength of the program,” he said. “Everybody is talking about, ’This is the problem.’ I think it can be a strength. I think it’s one of the most historic venues in all of college basketball. Have you been to Phog Allen (Fieldhouse in Kansas)? Have you been to Cameron Indoor Stadium?
“Now, sure, down the road, are there enhancements you might have to make and to try to modernize it? Yeah.”
Scheduling St. Thomas
Johnson did not want to play St. Thomas, and the U never played the Tommies after it jumped from NCAA Division III into Division I in 2021.
Medved, however, said he is “open” to that.
“I’m a competitive guy; it would be fun,” he said. “If you play St. Thomas, you’d better buckle up because they are really good. I can see that happening at some point.”
NIL on repeat
Medved faced multiple questions about name, image and likeness (NIL) funding and revenue sharing coming on line for players starting next season. One reporter said he would spare him another question on the topic.
“Listen, that is all we talk about,” Medved said. “It’s death, taxes, coaches talking about NIL.”
Earlier in the Q&A, Medved said he believes more money is needed in that space and that the U and boosters can provide what is necessary. But he also said he can find ways to win when he won’t have as much as his new Big Ten competitors.
Unnamed rivals
Medved grew up a Gophers fan in Roseville, so he knows the importance of the rivalries with Iowa and Wisconsin. But he didn’t name them Tuesday.
“I look forward to seeing The Barn packed,” he said. “A big game, maybe against a rival, OK, down south, down east and finding a way to pull it out, having our fans celebrate, seeing ourselves back in the NCAA Tournament.”
Staff coming together
Dave Thorson, who was on Ben Johnson’s staff after he worked with Medved at Colorado State and Drake, is expected to remain on the U staff. He gave a thumbs up to Medved when informally asked during the news conference.
One of Medved’s assistants with the Rams, Brian Cooley, and his director of player development, Joe De Ciman, are two other candidates to join Minnesota.
Colorado State’s associate head coach Ali Farokhmanesh is now the Rams’ interim head coach and expected to be named the permanent head coach.
Briefly
Former Gophers forward Frank Mitchell committed to St. Bonaventure on Tuesday; the Canadian entered the portal after Johnson’s firing. … Many Gophers players from last year’s team watched Medved’s news conference, and the most important player to retain is Isaac Asuma, the Cherry, Minn., guard coming off a promising freshman season. … Senior forward Parker Fox played the majority of last season through a meniscus injury in his knee. He will now have surgery on it. He dealt with that on top of a back issue and still played in all 32 games. … P.J. Fleck and the entire football coaching staff was in attendance. Fleck and Medved chatted after the news conference. … Volleyball coach Keegan Cook and women’s basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit also were spotted.
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