Nico Medved to be next Gophers men’s basketball coach

After leading Colorado State to three NCAA Tournament appearances in the last four seasons, Niko Medved is coming home.

Medved, a Roseville native, will become Minnesota’s next men’s basketball coach, CBS first reported on Monday morning. He replaces Ben Johnson, who was let go earlier this month after four seasons.

Medved will be tasked with rebuilding a Gophers’ program that has not made the NCAAs since 2019; that’s all four years of Johnson’s tenure and Richard Pitino’s final two years in Dinkytown.

Colorado State’s season ended with a buzzer-beating loss to Maryland in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday.

Medved, 51, has 12 years of head coaching experience, including the last seven at Colorado State, where he has gone 143-85 (.627 winning percentage) and three trips to March Madness (2022, ’24, ’25). He took the Rams to the NIT semifinals in 2021.

Medved graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in kinesiology and sport management. He was a student manager at the U under head coach Clem Haskins and then was an associate head coach at Macalester College in St. Paul. He went on to be an assistant coach at Furman, Minnesota and Colorado State before his first head coaching job at Furman in 2013-14.

Medved has a career record of 222-173, starting with four years at Furman (2013-17) and one season at Drake (2017-18).

Medved is currently making $1.7 million, which is less than Ben Johnson’s $2 million. A buyout of approximately $3.75 million is owed to get Medved out of his contract through 2030-31.

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