The Case for Niko (aka Niko’s Case)

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Not wishing anything bad on Colorado State, but in our favor, this could be resolved sooner rather than later:

  • 45. Mountain West teams seeded 10th or worse are 1-24 in the first round, including 22 straight losses.
    • All four conference teams to earn a bid are double-digit seeds: New Mexico (10), Utah State (10), San Diego State (11) and Colorado State (12)
 

Blizzard said:
Not wishing anything bad on Colorado State, but in our favor, this could be resolved sooner rather than later:

  • 45. Mountain West teams seeded 10th or worse are 1-24 in the first round, including 22 straight losses.
    • All four conference teams to earn a bid are double-digit seeds: New Mexico (10), Utah State (10), San Diego State (11) and Colorado State (12)
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Respect to CSU for another great season, but they need to lose. IF Niko is in fact the guy, we need him here yesterday.
 

Blizzard said:
Not wishing anything bad on Colorado State, but in our favor, this could be resolved sooner rather than later:

  • 45. Mountain West teams seeded 10th or worse are 1-24 in the first round, including 22 straight losses.
    • All four conference teams to earn a bid are double-digit seeds: New Mexico (10), Utah State (10), San Diego State (11) and Colorado State (12)
Click to expand...
They’re a 1-2 point favorite over Memphis, so it will be interesting.
 

matt said:
They’re a 1-2 point favorite over Memphis, so it will be interesting.
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I'm going to focus my bracket on a few of those solid facts this year. The Mountain West is 1-24 including 22 straight losses. That's bad. I'm not picking a single MWC team to win. :)
 

Blizzard said:
Not wishing anything bad on Colorado State, but in our favor, this could be resolved sooner rather than later:

  • 45. Mountain West teams seeded 10th or worse are 1-24 in the first round, including 22 straight losses.
    • All four conference teams to earn a bid are double-digit seeds: New Mexico (10), Utah State (10), San Diego State (11) and Colorado State (12)
Click to expand...
I know that well. In previous seasons I’ve seen a lot of late night MWC games and stupidly chose them the bracket and been burned mightily. Michigan did in the Rams a couple of years ago after backing into the tournament.
 


GoldenMAV30266 said:
Respect to CSU for another great season, but they need to lose. IF Niko is in fact the guy, we need him here yesterday.
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Agree in principle, but in the modern game, Niko might have his roster more than half full before the wheels touch down at MSP. Have to believe that if he comes, he’s bringing a handful of players and at least one recruit.
 


Alright, let me see if I've got this right: We're eyeing a coach who’s currently seeded in the 50-64 range, likely to bow out in the first round; who has some sort of Minnesota connection (possibly a distant relative or two); and whose acquisition would cost donors and the program somewhere between 3 to 6 million dollars. All this, just so I will buy a seat at Williams Arena for a game or two next season. Did I get that about right? If that is the case, you will have to sweeten the deal before I buy hotdogs and a coke or no deal.
 

ShushPush said:
Alright, let me see if I've got this right: We're eyeing a coach who’s currently seeded in the 50-64 range, likely to bow out in the first round; who has some sort of Minnesota connection (possibly a distant relative or two); and whose acquisition would cost donors and the program somewhere between 3 to 6 million dollars. All this, just so I will buy a seat at Williams Arena for a game or two next season. Did I get that about right? If that is the case, you will have to sweeten the deal before I buy hotdogs and a coke or no deal.
Click to expand...

No you didn’t get any of this right, as usual
 



ShushPush said:
Alright, let me see if I've got this right: We're eyeing a coach who’s currently seeded in the 50-64 range, likely to bow out in the first round; who has some sort of Minnesota connection (possibly a distant relative or two); and whose acquisition would cost donors and the program somewhere between 3 to 6 million dollars. All this, just so I will buy a seat at Williams Arena for a game or two next season. Did I get that about right? If that is the case, you will have to sweeten the deal before I buy hotdogs and a coke or no deal.
Click to expand...

Are you serious? He graduated from Roseville High School.
 











Here's Grok's response to "Who's going to be the next coach"? Grok on it's own also added a "when" component, saying prior to "March 24, 2025", which is when the portal opens.

Potential Candidates and Evaluation
Several candidates were considered, with a focus on proven success and ties to Minnesota. Below is a table summarizing the key candidates, their current or recent roles, and notable achievements, based on reports from sports media:

NameCurrent/Recent TeamAgeNotable AchievementsURL
Niko MedvedColorado State512 NCAA tournaments (2022, 2024), 20+ win season this year, turned around Furman (4 years), Drake (1 year)Niko Medved Wikipedia
Ben McCollumDrake43394-81 at Northwest Missouri State (Div II, 15 seasons, 4 national championships), 30-3 this year at Drake, won Missouri Valley regular season and conference tournamentBen McCollum Drake
Johnny TauerSt. Thomas52Success in Div III, transitioned to DI (4 seasons), 24 wins this year, Summit League championship game, not NCAA eligibleJohnny Tauer St. Thomas
Will WadeMcNeese State42Won at LSU, VCU, Chattanooga, McNeese State; consecutive Southland Conference titles; fired from LSU for NCAA recruiting violationsWill Wade Wikipedia
,
McNeese State Basketball
Craig SmithRecently fired from Utah52Turned around South Dakota (2014-18), 2 NCAA tournaments at Utah State (2018-21), 3 years improvement at Utah (Pac-12), fired in late FebruaryCraig Smith Wikipedia
Ross HodgeNorth Texas442nd year head coach, improved year-over-year, beat Minnesota at Williams Arena in NovemberRoss Hodge North Texas
Eric OlenCalifornia-San Diego4412th season, built UCSD to DI, Big West regular-season champions, potential NCAA tournament in first eligible seasonEric Olen Wikipedia
Sean SweeneyDallas Mavericks-Brightest defensive minds in NBA, helped Mavericks to NBA Finals last year, NBA assistant for 10 years, started in collegesSean Sweeney Mavericks

Among these, Niko Medved has consistently been highlighted as the top target. A Minneapolis native and University of Minnesota alumnus, Medved's coaching resume includes turning around programs at Furman, Drake, and Colorado State, where he achieved a 142-84 record over seven seasons, including three NCAA tournament appearances in the last four years (Report: Niko Medved has emerged as 'frontrunner' to be Gophers' next coach). His current team, the Colorado State Rams, finished the 2024-2025 season with a 25-9 record, ranking in the top 50 for both offensive and defensive efficiency per KenPom.

Current Status and Speculation
As of March 17, 2025, no official announcement has been made, but multiple sources suggest Medved is the favorite. An X post from @MNSportsGuru93 on March 15, 2025, stated, "Niko Medved - new Golden Gophers Head Basketball Coach - formerly of Colorado State. Will be aggregating soon" (MNSportsGuru93 X post). Additionally, reports indicate the university aims to finalize the hire before the transfer portal opens on March 24, 2025, to stabilize the roster (Gophers men’s basketball coach hire expected soon; Colorado State’s Niko Medved the favorite). Local insider David Shama of Shama Sports Headliners has also reported that the university is poised to hire Medved, adding weight to the speculation (Sounds Like Mark Coyle Has Found the Next Gophers Men's Basketball Coach).

Additional Considerations
Medved's ties to Minnesota, including his time as an assistant coach in the 2006-2007 season, and his familiarity with the Big Ten conference, make him a logical choice. His potential hire is seen as a step up for the Gophers, given his success in building competitive teams. However, the process is ongoing, and other candidates like Ben McCollum and Johnny Tauer remain in consideration, though less prominently featured in recent reports.

This detailed analysis underscores the complexity of coaching searches in collegiate sports, balancing performance metrics, local ties, and program needs. The Gophers' next coach will face the challenge of revitalizing a program that has struggled recently, with high expectations in a competitive conference.
 

ShushPush said:
Alright, let me see if I've got this right: We're eyeing a coach who’s currently seeded in the 50-64 range, likely to bow out in the first round; who has some sort of Minnesota connection (possibly a distant relative or two); and whose acquisition would cost donors and the program somewhere between 3 to 6 million dollars. All this, just so I will buy a seat at Williams Arena for a game or two next season. Did I get that about right? If that is the case, you will have to sweeten the deal before I buy hotdogs and a coke or no deal.
Click to expand...
Or we are eyeing a mid major coach that has taken his team to the NCAA tournament in 3 of the last 4 years who also happens to have a local connection which might give us a leg up over the other teams that are going to come after him during this current coaching cycle.
 




MNVCGUY said:
Or we are eyeing a mid major coach that has taken his team to the NCAA tournament in 3 of the last 4 years who also happens to have a local connection which might give us a leg up over the other teams that are going to come after him during this current coaching cycle.
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One might ask what is the sweetened deal?
 





Ski-U-Ham said:
There would be a lot of people on GH looking for the nearest ledge to jump from if we went after a coach who just got fired from Iona for going 33-34, 22-18 in the MAAC
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Lost his entire team to portal first year and made conference championship second year
 


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