The Case for Niko (aka Niko’s Case)


It seems that most view McCollum as a better prospect than Medved. In my opinion either would be a good hire. Medved has more D1 experience while McCollum has D2 championships. I like Medveds style of play better but maybe McCollum adjusts his to fit his talent?

Yeah.....either would be a really good hire.
 





Coyle's Plan
  • Ben's team didn't make free throws.
  • Medved's teams make free throws.
  • If Ben's team had made free throws we'd have won a lot more games.
  • Medved's teams will make free throws and we'll win a lot more games.
  • More wins mean more fans in the stands.
  • More fans in the stands means more NIL money.
  • More NIL money means better players.
  • Better players means we're always in the dance.
  • Being always in the dance means we get even more NIL
  • Getting even more NIL means even better players
  • Getting even better players means we're winning it all baby!!!
 

The more Medved and CSU wins, the better I'll feel about the idea of him coming here, and I'm sure I'm not the only one. I want a homerun hire but I'll settle for a double or a triple

We just had 5 losing seasons in 6 years. I'm confident under those circumstances that Medved will be a "program changer." If he makes the NCAA tournament, I hope he is eliminated by next weekend so he can start here soon afterwards.
 


I've come full circle and will be happy with Niko as the hire if that is the case. I could also care less that he's from MN or whether or not Dave Thorson stays on the staff.

But Niko is one of the top coaches available this cycle. Despite all of the NIL/transfer portal issues over the last 4 years, he has done a really good job of building his teams with HS recruits and keeping them in the program, along with supplementing through the transfer portal.

It's very similar to how PJ runs the football program, and means Niko likely has a very solid culture and program in place at Colorado St. He has now proven this at multiple stops.

Mountain West coaches are a crapshoot. The ones you think are going to jump and be successful often times fail, and then there's coaches like TJ Otzelberger who was under .500 overall at UNLV and immediately made Iowa St a powerhouse in the Big 12.

Niko has been very solid at Colorado St, and maybe he will be our TJ O.
Bolded very true, but:
- 2019-20 they were 12-6 in the MWC, three-way tie for 2nd place, lost as #4 seed in MWC to a tough Boise #5 seed in the first round, then March Madness was cancelled for covid
- 2020-2021 is covid ... nothing that year counts for me

For whatever little that's worth
 



So how is Niko going to field a competitive B1G team that can consistently go to the Tourny and compete for B1G conference championships every once in a while?

He looks like a really nice guy and most likely is a good coach, but that is not enough anymore to lure the top players to your program.

Uncontrolled NIL and free transfers have changed everything.

It is one thing to evaluate talent and develop them for a lower tier program. But in the B1G that just gives you at best an occasional 0.500 conference record and maybe a tourney bid every 4-6 years. A team that will get their best players poached every year from one of 50 other programs.

I am not saying that level of play is bad, but realize what you are getting with the hire that you are making. It may be fun, but stop bitching about not winning against the big guys and having a sub 0.500 record.

In order to compete with the best, you need to bring in a game changing name that will instantly allure players to the program (assuming you also have the NIL to pay those players every year).
How is TJ Otzelberger able to do it at Iowa State?
 






Hes not a "homerun" in that it's not going to be a headline like say Tubby was or had a name like Pitino. That said, his team's are just good.

Last few years final ken pom off / def rankings

54/47
51/27
59/199 (rebuild year after losing roddy)
24/89

And done it all with under the radar kids like Roddy, Clifford, Steven's and Tonje.

Aa noted above, you need a good base to build this program. CBJ destroyed that, Niko seems like a good builder.
 

So how is Niko going to field a competitive B1G team that can consistently go to the Tourny and compete for B1G conference championships every once in a while?

He looks like a really nice guy and most likely is a good coach, but that is not enough anymore to lure the top players to your program.
Look at it this way. How would his current CSU team fare in the B1G. Pretty well I think.
 








We just had 5 losing seasons in 6 years. I'm confident under those circumstances that Medved will be a "program changer." If he makes the NCAA tournament, I hope he is eliminated by next weekend so he can start here soon afterwards.
Currently, CSU is on the 'win or out' ncaat trajectory. Selfishly, that's what I'm hoping too. The sooner, the better. Gotta wonder if / who he would bring any of his players with him to help him hit the ground running.
 







And I'm surprised no music fans (Ope3?) caught the title of this thread.

I caught it. Great play on names.

Medved has shown himself to be a good coach, but for some reason (and maybe it's just me) I get this Joe Salem vibe about him.
 




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