All Things Gophers Coaching Search Thread (rumors, tweets, tid-bits and more)

[Dave H]

I'm not a finance major, but I do understand that more money is better

My question is is there a benefit to us saying that our budget is 1/2 of another schools, compared to maybe 1/4 of another schools, if the total difference remains the same

In and of itself probably not. But if you are the person in charge of building the roster it will inform how you go about building it.

 

[matt]

They have a bigger chunk of the pool, but will also have to pay more, right (just like Michigan will)?

Yes, but the ratio has improved for Minnesota in scenario B.

 

[Ski-U-Ham]

Yes, but the ratio has improved for Minnesota in scenario B.

Agreed again, it makes sense that if the difference is the same, the more dollars the better. If we're not gonna have as much money as other teams, you want to drive that percentage as close to 50-50 as possible, and more money in the pool helps with that

 

[Unregistered User]

Thanks Xanterra

Owned by Philip Anschutz, so...pretty much on-brand.

 

[Beerculees]

We can, and I don't mean to derail the thread.

But the coaching search is done. It will be Niko when CSU exits the tourney.

100% Niko is the guy, and we probably don't need this thread much longer. But it would be helpful for others to follow or know what they are getting into by having the proper thread. I have things to add but not enough to start the thread myself. Plus I am saving my first thread to be "Niko Medved is a Disaster" the day he gets hired.

 

[jamiche]

Obviously, the agenda is that 1) Minnesota can't compete, and 2) They shouldn't have fired Johnson because Minnesota is so non-competitive that it doesn't matter who the coach is.

Just the whole "it doesn't matter who the coach is" fallacy (and those exact words have been posted verbatim on this site by multiple posters) is so illogical as to make it laughable.

I've been on record for months that Johnson had to go. I don't think anybody would argue that it was also a deficient roster.

 

[ShushPush]

Niko, like any coach, should expect financial resources 1:1 with our competitors. Anything less is subsistence-level nomadic migration bird feed. We should at least strive for a Type 1 civilization in the basketball world.

 

[Gopherbbdude]

I don’t know if anyone knows the exact numbers, so take it for what it’s worth. Ruesse mentioned on Michael Rand’s podcast today the Gophers were at 1.2 this year with Garcia receiving 500k.

If this is true...CBJ never had a chance to compete...Good/Bad coach or not

 

[Spaulding!No!]

If this is true...CBJ never had a chance to compete...Good/Bad coach or not

Reusse is now a second rate doogie. He doesn’t have any direct connections on the U or pro sports in the TC area. His body of work over the past 10 years is evidence of this.

 

[TwistingMyMelon]

If this is true...CBJ never had a chance to compete...Good/Bad coach or not

Maybe he didn't but it's a moot point now. I don't expect next season to be particularly good in terms of wins/losses but I look forward to a different style of play and a fresh clock that allows the new coach to recruit younger and potentially multi-year players.

 

[GopherHole Staff]

Let's keep this thread on coaching search. If you want to start a new thread on NIL, please do, posts not about the coaching search will be deleted from here on out.

 

[NateDawgUM]

Is there any whisp of smoke from any candidate other than Medved? If not I have to assume this is a done deal.

 

[Tucker32]

If this is true...CBJ never had a chance to compete...Good/Bad coach or not

He still had a chance. There were still teams in the Big Ten below that number, and we didn't beat them. Beat NW, North Texas, Penn State, Washington - all who were terrible and losses at home. Beat Wichita State, who was 8-10 in a bad conference. They all had less NIL than MN. If he wins just the four games at home, they would have had 19 wins and been on the bubble. You can't lose to those bad teams at home and blame NIL.

That leads to us hiring Niko, and I look forward to supporting him from the moment it's announced.

 

[MNVCGUY]

Is there any whisp of smoke from any candidate other than Medved? If not I have to assume this is a done deal.

Pretty quiet so far.....that said, you won't hear much of anything real substantial about any candidate that has a team still playing.

Medved definitely feels like the leader in the clubhouse but until it is official anything can happen.

 

[Minnesara]

Still dreaming of McCollum.

 

[Holy Man]

Is there any whisp of smoke from any candidate other than Medved? If not I have to assume this is a done deal.

I’m always suspicious of done deals with no announcement. I know someone posted that CSU was going to make a run at him and I think it was sarcasm. But if I am the AD at CSU, I would make the best counter offer I could. Done deal or not, there is still time to do that. Until he announces himself, I’ll stay suspicious.

 

[NateDawgUM]

I’m always suspicious of done deals with no announcement. I know someone posted that CSU was going to make a run at him and I think it was sarcasm. But if I am the AD at CSU, I would make the best counter offer I could. Done deal or not, there is still time to do that. Until he announces himself, I’ll stay suspicious.

Never count your chickens before the fat lady sings.

But still thought there’d be whispers here and there about other candidates.

 

[MNVCGUY]

I’m always suspicious of done deals with no announcement. I know someone posted that CSU was going to make a run at him and I think it was sarcasm. But if I am the AD at CSU, I would make the best counter offer I could. Done deal or not, there is still time to do that. Until he announces himself, I’ll stay suspicious.

If he wants to come home it is going to be pretty tough for CSU to offer anything that would keep him there most likely. But yeah, just like with recruiting, anything can happen prior to the contracts being signed. Will be interesting to see how the next week plays out, assuming of course that CSU doesn't shock the world and go on a tournament run.

 

[bga1]

I’m always suspicious of done deals with no announcement. I know someone posted that CSU was going to make a run at him and I think it was sarcasm. But if I am the AD at CSU, I would make the best counter offer I could. Done deal or not, there is still time to do that. Until he announces himself, I’ll stay suspicious.

I would guess that CSU has a range they can pay and that's about that. It's life in the next rung down in college basketball. Comfort yourself with the idea that he really CAN'T let it get announced before his team is eliminated. If they matched us- somebody else would just take him.

 

[Full Speed Ahead]

Is there any whisp of smoke from any candidate other than Medved? If not I have to assume this is a done deal.

Coyle knew some time ago he was going to fire Johnson and thus had time to get everything set up for his next guy prior to his 2AM "Ben's gone" announcement, including the marketing of said guy. If that "next guy" wasn't Niko, the U would let slip that other names are being pursued and use their sources to get that word out. They're not, all the news is Niko. The only way it's not Niko is if someone comes in with a much better offer that we can't match, and I don't see that happening. I really like Niko, but he's not the number 1 guy for other teams to get. He's a "safe" hire for Coyle, one that has a higher floor than someone who doesn't have the years of track record (e.g., McCollum). Niko's our guy, the only question in my mind is does Ali come as well (I'm guessing Ali becomes CSU's new head coach).

 

[Holy Man]

I would guess that CSU has a range they can pay and that's about that. It's life in the next rung down in college basketball. Comfort yourself with the idea that he really CAN'T let it get announced before his team is eliminated. If they matched us- somebody else would just take him.

I’m not comforted. But I’ll glide on your confidence.

 

[TNGophfan]

I would guess that CSU has a range they can pay and that's about that. It's life in the next rung down in college basketball. Comfort yourself with the idea that he really CAN'T let it get announced before his team is eliminated. If they matched us- somebody else would just take him.

We can match anything CSU throws out. This is maybe 20% money, 40% moving to a better conference and 40% coming home.

 

[howeda7]

Is there any whisp of smoke from any candidate other than Medved? If not I have to assume this is a done deal.

Tom Crean would like you to know there's smoke about Tom Crean.

 

[howeda7]

I’m always suspicious of done deals with no announcement. I know someone posted that CSU was going to make a run at him and I think it was sarcasm. But if I am the AD at CSU, I would make the best counter offer I could. Done deal or not, there is still time to do that. Until he announces himself, I’ll stay suspicious.

We're up 28-7 late in the 3rd quarter. What could happen?

 

[ShushPush]

We're up 28-7 late in the 3rd quarter. What could happen?

We could start playing basketball instead of football.

 

[Holy Man]

We're up 28-7 late in the 3rd quarter. What could happen?

Defense folds like a cheap suit. We’re frugal here and there are a lot of cheap suits.

 

[atsgopher]

Tom Crean would like you to know there's smoke about Tom Crean.

Now that was funny,

 

[bga1]

According to this writer - Medved is CSUs Mark Few. Pretty high praise!


FORT COLLINS — As of late Sunday afternoon, John Weber said he hadn’t heard squat from Minnesota.

Not the Wild. Not the Timberwolves. Not the Vikings. Not the Twins. Not Minnesota Fats. And certainly not the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

“I have not spoken to anyone,” the CSU athletic director told me firmly on Sunday at Canvas Stadium after his Rams drew Memphis in the 2025 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. “And I’m not going to comment any more on any rumors or conjectures.”

If they beat Anfernee Hardaway’s Tigers — and they should, that seeding was criminal — his phone might start ringing off the hook.

Because the rumors, sadly, aren’t going away. Both daily newspapers in the Twin Cities say the Gophers, who fired coach Ben Johnson last week, are about to make a beeline for Rams boss Niko Medved. One, because the 51-year-old happens to be one of the best college basketball coaches in the country. And two, because Medved also happens to be a Twin Cities native.

Weber can’t stop the chatter. But he can get out in front of the story, and maybe even dissuade some of the potential suitors, with two simple words:

Lifetime contract.

And by “lifetime,” I mean a clause similar to the one the CU Buffs gave Tad Boyle.

One that reads, in part: “Upon mutual agreement of the parties and with the approval of the Chancellor of the University, Boyle may be transitioned from the Head Basketball Coach position to a Special Assistant to the Athletics Director position at the University.”

Medved last April agreed to an extension through the 2028-29 season with one-year options for both ’29-30 and ’30-31. He makes $1.7 million this season, which doesn’t trail CSU football coach Jay Norvell by much ($1.8 million). There’s a scheduled bump to $1.75 million in ’25-26 and to $1.8 million in ’26-27.
If Tad wants to be a Buff forever, he can. Medved deserves the same consideration, at the least, for the beast he’s built in FoCo.

As part of his buyout, Medved would owe 33% of the remaining base salary left. So, if the cut off on money owed is June 30, 2029, for example, then Medved or a school hiring him would need $1.85 million to buy out the rest of his current contract.

For a Big Ten school, that’s couch change.

Enter the Gophers. Johnson made $2.08 million of total pay in ’24-25, per USA Today, with a reported salary of $1.95 million, lowest in the Big Ten. The “U” is paying a $2.93 million buyout.

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Minnesota officials aren’t waiting around, either.Apparently, Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle has said he wants a new coach in place by March 24, when the transfer portal re-opens for business.

“With the timing of the search, obviously, we want to be very efficient and move quickly, because of the transfer portal and because of the collective NIL and institutional NIL,” Coyle told reporters. “We want to have those conversations quickly.”

CSU can’t win a bidding war with Minnesota or Iowa, if it comes to that. If it’s about climbing, about the money or the prestige, that’s not a fair fight. It never will be.

But if you can’t swing with dollars, swing with something else. The Rams are moving to the Pac-12 next summer and will enter it as arguably the third-best hoops program of the lot, trailing only Gonzaga and San Diego State.

Niko is CSU’s Mark Few. If you’re not going to match Few’s salary ($2.8 million in 2025, according to USA Today), then you should at least try to match Few’s job security.

Weber and Medved got together on last year’s extension and have a good working relationship, a good understanding of where the other guy’s coming from.

“Yep,” Weber said, “I’ve known him a long time.”

“Would you match, if say, a $3 million-ish offer came along from somebody else?” I asked.

“I’m not going to comment on any of that,” Weber replied.

“How close is your Rolodex of names, which I presume you’re always updating?

“Everybody does,” Weber replied. “I think every AD does. You don’t want it, but for every job, it’s part of my job.”

“Do the rumors take away from the joy of this week?”

“That’s part of the job, right?” Weber replied. “And it’s no different than, you know, in my own background (in the business world). Whether it was a salesperson, a marketing person, an engineer. I mean, it’s no different.”

Nobody wants to rain on the parade, and Rams fans and officials who turned up at Canvas on Sunday did so looking to party. A table of cookies on trays rested in one corner of the fourth floor, with a bar open at another.

There was a faint hope in the room that CSU could be sent to Denver for its opening-weekend destination, but that was dashed early into the CBS selection show. When the eight teams assigned to Ball Arena — Michigan, UC-San Diego, Texas A&M, Yale, BYU, VCU, Wisconsin and Montana — were announced, Rams fans let out an audible gasp.

They did the same when San Diego State drew North Carolina in a First Four matchup. And again when New Mexico landed a No. 10 seed to face Marquette. When Utah State landed a No. 10 seed to take on UCLA, they booed. Justifiably.

The Mountain West championship trophy, whose giant silver ball at the top seemed to catch the setting Front Range sun perfectly, had the best seat in the house, a front-row perch with an unobstructed view. That part was new — CSU hadn’t won a conference tourney since 2003, so fans of all ages queued up for selfies with the Rams’ latest hardware.

As CBS hosts Adam Zucker, Clark Kellogg, Jay Wright and Seth Davis went through their paces, though, it sat on a table between the left shoulder of Nique Clifford and the right shoulder of Jaylen Crocker-Johnson.

Directly behind them, Medved sat in the center of the circle with university president Amy Parsons immediately to his right. Oh, to be a fly on that wall in a few days.

“It’s a great problem, OK?” Weber continued. “It means that we’re doing the right things, and we’ve got the right coaches, and the right people, and the right athletes. This happens every year.”

With a lifetime contract, though, it just might stop.

 

[Angry]

100% Niko is the guy, and we probably don't need this thread much longer. But it would be helpful for others to follow or know what they are getting into by having the proper thread. I have things to add but not enough to start the thread myself. Plus I am saving my first thread to be "Niko Medved is a Disaster" the day he gets hired.

I was going to start a “Fire Niko Medved” right now.

 

[RockChalk]

He still had a chance. There were still teams in the Big Ten below that number, and we didn't beat them. Beat NW, North Texas, Penn State, Washington - all who were terrible and losses at home. Beat Wichita State, who was 8-10 in a bad conference. They all had less NIL than MN. If he wins just the four games at home, they would have had 19 wins and been on the bubble. You can't lose to those bad teams at home and blame NIL.

That leads to us hiring Niko, and I look forward to supporting him from the moment it's announced.

Well stated!!!!