MN Gophers Reel In Proven Winner To Lead Hoops Program

MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Gophers are expected to hire Colorado State’s Niko Medved as their next men’s basketball coach, according to multiple reports. The official announcement is expected on Monday.

Minnesota held off on finalizing the hire until after Colorado State’s NCAA tournament run came to an end. The No. 12-seeded Rams were narrowly eliminated in the second round Sunday night, falling 72-71 to No. 4 Maryland by a buzzer-beater.

Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle had targeted Medved early in the search after firing Ben Johnson, the Star Tribune reported. Johnson finished 15-17 in his fourth season at Minnesota.

“There’s no doubt we need somebody who embraces Minnesota,” Coyle said after Johnson’s firing.

“We need somebody who’s going to generate excitement. At the end of the day, I’m a firm believer: When you’re winning games, people want to be a part of that.”

Medved, 51, is a Minnesota native and Roseville High School alum who also graduated from the University of Minnesota. He began his coaching journey as a student manager under Clem Haskins at Minnesota and later served as associate head coach at Macalester in the late 90s.

He compiled a 143-85 record over seven seasons at Colorado State.

Medved guided the Rams to the NCAA tournament in three of the past four seasons, each time reaching the 25-win mark, and made history by delivering the program’s first consecutive NCAA tournament victories.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story.