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Medved Making a Difference with Golden Gophers NIL

Posted on April 21, 2025April 21, 2025 by David Shama

The Name, Image and Likeness effort to generate money for University of Minnesota men’s basketball is positive under new head coach Niko Medved who was hired in March.

Dinkytown Athletes, the entity that creates and develops NIL opportunities for Gopher athletes with businesses and sponsors, is led by co-founder and president Derek Burns. He told Sports Headliners NIL revenue raised for men’s basketball players is “significantly ahead” of a year ago.

This is the third offseason DA has worked on NIL resources and Burns said money available for the 2025-2026 school year is “by far” ahead of previous totals. Like other collectives around the country, DA doesn’t make public the total NIL revenue it has. Such information can create a competitive disadvantage with rival schools, collective executives maintain.

However, it’s believed former Gopher men’s basketball coach Ben Johnson had a seven-figure amount of NIL money last school year, but the total was under $2 million. It could be (based on background work by Sports Headliners) that in Medved’s first year the total will be between $3 million to $4 million. Athletes are paid at Minnesota and elsewhere to make appearances, endorse products or services and appear in advertising.

Medved, who coached Colorado State to the NCAA Tournament three of the last four years, is a Minnesota native. He was a student manager for the Gophers in the 1990s and has a passion for the program that hit hard times under Johnson, partially because of minimal NIL money.

The personable Medved knows a rebuild is in front of him. He’s been using his determination and salesmanship with donors to build up NIL support. Burns said Medved has “been very effective and well received.”

Part of the fund-raising strategy uses donors of means to engage in matching campaigns. Medved wants, of course, to avoid as much as possible not being priced out for players in recruiting against other programs.

Medved photo courtesy of University of Minnesota

Of developing significance is that Big Ten athletic departments and other major conferences are expected to soon receive court approval to share revenues with athletes. The cap could be $20.5 million per school the first year, with the Gophers expected to allocate for five sports with football receiving more than half the total and men’s basketball being second in the pecking order.

Even with revenue sharing, NIL will remain in play. It figures to make a difference as seen frequently in news reporting about college basketball and football.

Kyan Evans, one of Medved’s best players last season, was wanted in Dinkytown but the junior guard chose North Carolina where he reportedly will have a more than $2 million NIL deal.

Orono High School guard Noah Groves, the state’s player of the year, committed to Texas Tech last week, a program where his agent has relationships. The Red Raiders took Gopher point guard Elijah Hawkins a year ago. Tech is known for its NIL success in football and basketball, and is reportedly paying hoopster JT Toppin around $4 million in NIL money to return to the Red Raiders.

Medved has so far brought in five transfer players. Only state native BJ Omot from Cal is from a Power Four conference, an indication of limitations in NIL funding at Minnesota.

That doesn’t mean those transfers won’t help the Gophers, with some even excelling. On3 uses an algorithm to determine whether a program has improved its roster talent, stayed the same or declined during the transfer window. Minnesota is ranked No. 25 in the nation by On3 after determining an improved roster.

NIL monies have reportedly increased nationally, although Burns cautions he knows figures are frequently exaggerated not only in basketball but in football, too. A point of differentiation for the Gophers is that unlike some schools Minnesota has a reputation of making good on its NIL commitments, not reneging.

Still, it’s bizarre to hear some of the reports about NIL money just for men’s basketball. Former Marquette, Indiana and Georgia head coach Tom Crean, talking to Dan Barreiro on KFAN last week, put the number in the 50s of college programs with $9 million war chests, he believes.

College basketball authority Evan Miyakawa, writing last week on X, guesstimated the top spenders this offseason on basketball transfers is led by Michigan at $8.8 million, Kentucky, $7.6 million, Maryland and Miami at $7.1 million each, and Iowa at $6.6 million.

Absent from Miyakawa’s top 10 list was St. John’s where coach Rick Pitino has a billionaire booster who is willing to pay whatever it takes to have the Red Storm at national prominence.

Believe Miyakawa’s figures at your discretion, but no one can doubt NIL money is big business.

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Word on Next U Basketball Coach Leads to Niko Medved

Posted on March 15, 2025March 15, 2025 by David Shama

Sources believe Niko Medved will be the next head men’s basketball coach at the University of Minnesota. Those sources include a former college basketball coach with Minnesota ties who called Sports Headliners Friday to say Medved, head coach at Colorado State since 2018, will succeed Ben Johnson who was dismissed earlier this week after four losing Big Ten seasons.

That source, speaking on condition of anonymity, believes a deal has been agreed to between Medved and the U.

It’s all but certain Minnesota athletic director Mark Coyle had identified preferred candidates prior to firing Johnson, with Medved a target. With the player transfer portal opening March 24, the U and other programs across the nation want to move fast in acquiring players for next season. Hiring the next U coach is both a thoughtful and timely challenge.

Medved, with Gopher state roots and a consistent winning coaching resume, checks boxes for Coyle. “We need somebody that embraces Minnesota,” Coyle told local media yesterday.

Medved, Minneapolis born, is a U graduate. He has his bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Minnesota in kinesiology and sports management respectively.

In the 1990s Medved was a student manager for U head coach Clem Haskins. The Roseville High grad was associate head coach at Macalester College from 1997-1999. After that he was an assistant coach at Furman, Minnesota (one season under Dan Monson) and Colorado State before becoming head coach at Furman, Drake and in Fort Collins with the Rams.

It’s been presumed for a while that Medved would welcome the opportunity to come home and coach at his alma mater. His availability would be attractive to Coyle who in his coaching search rhetoric prioritized hiring someone who will win consistently like rival Big Ten programs Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin.

Medved’s resume is that of improving records over time and producing 20-win seasons. Hired for the 2013-2014 season at Furman, he spent four seasons building up a program that went from a 9-game winner to 21. After one season at Drake, he took over the Rams and in five of seven seasons his teams have won 20 games or more.

At one point last season his team earned a No. 12 national ranking and finished with a 25-11 record. Today the Rams, 24-9 overall and winners of nine consecutive games, play Boise State in the Mountain West tournament championship game.

A victory sends the Rams into the NCAA Tournament. A loss could put the team on the bubble for an invitation. Although Medved has never won a regular season conference championship, or tournament title with the Rams, his teams have qualified for the NCAA Tournament two of the last three seasons.

If the Rams miss the Big Dance, that could clear the way for an announcement about the Gophers job (if sources are correct about the hire). The urgency of getting started in the player retention and recruitment process can’t be overstated.

When a coach is fired, players can enter the transfer portal earlier than those who aren’t in that situation. It’s expected the Gophers want to retain their key holdovers from this winter’s team, guard Isaac Asuma and center Frank Mitchell. Guard Tyler Cochran has already entered the portal.

In the transactional world of college basketball players, a program’s fortunes can turn around in one or two off seasons. Coyle is reportedly committed to allocating more revenue sharing money to basketball players at the U than many other Big Ten rivals are planning. That would give Medved a competitive advantage in recruiting.

Medved would also be expected to boost Name, Image and Likeness monies considerably beyond what Johnson was able to do. He will be counted on to woo donors with his personality, track record and commitment to Minnesota.

As the Rams coach, Medved has recruited his home state. David Roddy, from Breck, was a Medved protégé who became a great player for the Rams and later a first round NBA draft choice. On this season’s team is Jon Mekonnen from Eastview High School.

A Medved contract buyout from Colorado State would be expected to cost about $4 million. His first-year salary at Minnesota might be around $3 million, plus yearly increases and incentives.

A Medved homecoming would likely reunite him with his friend Dave Thorson. The legendary former DeLaSalle coach joined Medved as an assistant at Drake in 2017 and then moved on with him to Colorado State. In 2021 Thorson returned to Minneapolis to be part of Johnson’s coaching staff. Coyle has asked Thorson to stay on staff to help hold the program together during the head coach process.

There is competition even in the Big Ten to hire a new head coach, with Iowa and Indiana searching. The opinion here is Johnny Tauer of St. Thomas would be the best replacement for Johnson but sources insist he won’t leave the Tommies.

Drake’s Ben McCollum, with a similar coaching resume to Tauer, is also a favorite in this space but the state of Iowa native may end up with the Hawkeyes or possibly Hoosiers. The Gophers may not interest him.

Former Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders, like Medved, has strong Minnesota roots having grown up in the state and he played for the Gophers. Now an assistant with the NBA Nuggets, Saunders likely would jump at the hometown job but he doesn’t have the college background it’s believed Coyle wants.

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Gopher Hoops Hire of John Tauer Screams with Logic, But…

Posted on March 13, 2025March 13, 2025 by David Shama

The Ben Johnson era is over as University of Minnesota men’s basketball coach. After checking with sources and evaluating the facts, this space made a guess last Saturday that Johnson would be terminated soon.

Early today athletic director Mark Coyle made the announcement that after four seasons that included no winning Big Ten records, zero NCAA Tournament invitations, and dwindling fan interest from an already apathetic fan base, Johnson was out. Now comes the speculation about who Coyle will hire to revive a program that has been deteriorating for more than 25 years.

To be clear, this will be Coyle’s hire, not the choice of his boss. Multiple sources have told Sports Headliners it was then U president Joan Gable who pushed for the Johnson hire in 2021. This won’t be the case now for Coyle, who has been the AD since 2016. His selection is expected to be approved by the current U president, Rebecca Cunningham.

The ideal next coach is Johnny Tauer from St. Thomas. The Gophers need a gold-standard winner who is already established in this region, and a person who possesses knowledge and wisdom about the basketball and cultural landscape here.

Tauer is that person. He is revered by those who know basketball and what he’s done for the small school Tommies.

The Gopher job cries out for a savior who could match the success of the neighboring Wisconsin Badgers. The “Wisconsin Way” is built around elite coaching grounded in savvy recruiting, basketball fundamentals and unselfish attitudes.

The Badgers have earned success this millennium with Final Fours, Big Ten titles and national rankings. Much of that glory was built under the direction of Bo Ryan whose coaching history prior to Madison was as a Division III national championship head coach at Wisconsin-Platteville.

Tauer, 52, won a Division III national title for the Tommies in 2016. For four seasons he has led an ultra-successful transition into Division I with his mid-major program in the Summit League. He’s achieved much of his success with players from Minnesota, or nearby Wisconsin and Illinois. His player development skills and game coaching are extraordinary.

John Tauer photo courtesy of University of St. Thomas

Tauer is a finalist for the Hugh Durham award by CollegeInsider.com, presented annually to the top mid-major head coach in college basketball. In 2025 the Tommies finished second both during the regular season and conference tournament to Omaha. His team was 24-10 overall and 12-4 in league play.

The Tommies were at the top or near leaders in a variety of conference stats including best turnover margin, assists, free throw percentage and three-point percentage. The Tommies ranked second in points per game and fourth in defense.

Tauer and Coyle are acquainted, with both being St. Paul residents and connected through Cretin-Derham Hall where their children have attended school. It’s unknown whether Tauer is on Coyle’s list but he should be at the top.

Tauer’s resume and state roots scream for him being the most rational choice to successfully turn around the long slide of Gopher basketball. At Minnesota he would be the most likely of any candidate to replicate the Wisconsin model.

Media speculation on candidates includes Brian Dutcher, Niko Medved, Ben McCollum, Ryan Saunders, Craig Smith and Kimani Young. “There’s no one close to John Tauer,” a college basketball insider told Sports Headliners.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there is a long list of hoops authorities who will testify as to how special Tauer is. That list, he offered, will range from Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard to faculty and patrons at St. Thomas, to Creighton head coach Greg McDermott, to the high school coaches who have met Tauer on the recruiting trail.

A perk with hiring Tauer, the source said, is no contract buyout will be required by St. Thomas. Then, too, Tauer is an ideal age to take the rebuild job at Minnesota. Young enough to have the vast energy required for the assignment, but old enough and settled in enough in the Twin Cities to make Dinkytown his last stop.

Would Tauer take the Minnesota job if offered? “No,” said the source.

He didn’t answer the question on a whim. He is familiar with Tauer and is also knowledgeable about the St. Thomas and Minnesota programs.

The authority said Tauer loves St. Thomas where he was a player and has been not only an assistant and head coach but a faculty member. Friends and colleagues know that Tauer (who holds a doctorate degree in social psychology) bleeds St. Thomas purple, and he doesn’t define his life by money.

Tauer’s compensation at St. Thomas is believed to be less than $400,000 a year. Minnesota could offer $4 million and more over a five-year deal.

The money couldn’t be better invested by the U, but the day might not be too far into the future when Tauer is earning seven-figures at St. Thomas. It’s believed the vision for Tommies basketball is joining the Big East Conference within maybe five years. Playing in a power basketball conference with the likes of other Catholic schools could be a coup for both the Tommies and the league, including an athletic department windfall.

The Tommies go into a new 5,500 on-campus arena next fall. If the Tommies become a member of the Big East and a top 25 ranked team, that building won’t even be big enough with all the fan interest in the Twin Cities. The Xcel Energy Center could be home for some of the Tommies’ biggest games.

There are a couple of other reasons the source is pessimistic about Tauer’s interest in the Gophers. Despite growing up in Minnesota, Tauer has no particular passion for the Gophers.

And more to the point, the source said, the U basketball gig is a “bad job.” The perception, he believes, is the U is a loser program. A program that has struggled for decades to win, and is characterized by fan apathy and minimal support from donors.

Coyle, of course, has a different view. In a statement released earlier today he said: “This is an extremely desirable job in one of the best conferences and cities in the nation, and we fully expect to compete at the highest level on and off the court. We provide a world-class experience for our student-athletes, have one of the best practice facilities in the nation and play games in a historic venue. We offer everything that is needed to be successful, and we will immediately begin a nationwide search for our next men’s basketball coach.”

The source, who believes Tauer would be a better Big Ten coach than Wisconsin’s Gard, also questions whether the St. Thomas Hall of Famer would be comfortable with the early years and the miseries expected with reviving the program.

He would be stunned if Tauer wants to coach the Gophers, while noting the opportunity to receive “generational wealth” now could be the one factor that lights up his interest. “They (St. Thomas) are not in a position to pay him millions of dollars,” the authority said. “Their faculty would go berserk.”

If Tauer were to leave St. Thomas, there would be lots of grieving on campus and with alumni. The feeling would be no one can replace him.

The feeling here is Tommie world won’t have to experience a devastating change.

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