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Category: Golden Gophers

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.

Ben Johnson

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.

1 comment

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.

6 comments

Look for Vikings to Extend GM’s Contract Soon

Posted on March 11, 2025March 11, 2025 by David Shama

 

The Vikings hired general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah in January of 2022, giving him a four-year contract. Kevin O’Connell was hired as head coach in February of that year, also on a four-year deal.

Almost two months ago the Vikings announced a multi-year extension for O’Connell, but nothing has apparently been finalized regarding an extension for the GM whose original contract will end after next season.

What’s going on?

A former executive with NFL teams, who spoke to Sports Headliners on condition of anonymity, said there was “urgency” to get an extension done with O’Connell.  He said players and staff become “nervous” when a head coach goes into his final season with uncertainty.  The general manager’s staff is much smaller.

“No, I think he’s going to get extended,” the source said.  “Certainly, before the draft, I think.”

The NFL Draft is April 24-26.  The authority quoted here disagrees with speculation ownership and chief operating officer Andrew Miller may be waiting on a new Adofo-Mensah deal to see how the 2025 draft and free agency signings materialize.

Adofo-Mensah’s initial draft in 2022 was a flop but in fairness he had only a few months to prepare.  Draft results since then have been better, and free agent signings and trades are impressive.

O’Connell, who was named AP NFL Coach of the Year in February, has won 34 games in the last three regular seasons, with free agent signings playing a major role in the success.  That group includes: Blake Cashman, Sam Darnold, Jonathan Greenard, Stephon Gilmore, Shaquill Griffin, Aaron Jones, Byron Murphy Jr., Harrison Phillips, and Andrew Van Ginkel.

A majority of those players signed during the offseason in 2024 and were key contributors to a 14-3 team that was a Super Bowl contender.  The source described the work in signing them as “fantastic.”

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah image courtesy of Minnesota Vikings

He also praised trades during the Adofo-Mensah era.  Acquisitions include one of the NFL’s best tight ends in T.J. Hockenson, plus offensive tackle Cam Robinson and running back Cam Akers.

“And I am sure they’re happy with the way he navigated the Cousins deal to get them out from under that deal. Especially the way it turned out for Atlanta.”

Rather than become salary cap strapped with a $100 million-plus contract for an aging quarterback, the Vikings chose not to do an expensive multi-year deal with Kirk Cousins.  Instead, they replaced him with Darnold who for much of 2024 was among the better quarterbacks in the NFL.

In recent days the Vikings reportedly are off to a head turning start in free agent signings of players who can help them in 2025.  Included are defensive tackle Jonathan Allen, guard Will Fries, center Ryan Kelly and cornerback Isaiah Rodgers.

It’s evident Adofo-Mensah is deserving of an extension which could be for three or four more years. His original deal was for four years and $12 million, per NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe and Ian Rapoport in 2022.

Worth Noting

The NFL source referenced above believes this is a deep draft, with high quality players to be found going into the second round.  Among Minnesota priorities after the first round could be a running back with speed and shiftiness to complement 30-year-old Aaron Jones who the Vikings just re-signed.  He had a career high rushing attempts of 255 last season, but the NFL authority said his workload was too extensive.

“I think Aaron played a little too much this year, and at the end he kind of fell off.  Compared with how Green Bay used him in the past he really was more of a split time guy and then he was great in the playoffs two years ago for them. …He just didn’t look the same at the end of the year (for Vikings) as he did earlier.”

Saturday’s column on Gopher men’s basketball prompted many comments from readers with the majority favoring a new head coach.  One reader suggested Ben McCollum, now in his first season at Drake after winning four Division II national championships at Northwest Missouri State.

Vikings’ linebacker Blake Cashman will join his former Gopher and Eden Prairie teammate Carter Coughlin, now a linebacker with the New York Giants, in speaking to the Twin Cities Dunkers on March 19 at Interlachen Country Club.

March 28 Cashman will participate in a Q & A at the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Clinic at the DoubleTree Park Place in St. Louis Park.  Gopher head coach P.J. Fleck also speaks to clinic attendees on that date. https://www.mnfootballcoaches.com/page/show/2279758-mfca-clinic-information

That Friday there will be a free noon reception at the DoubleTree for retired football coaches.  Committee chair Dan Essler is seeking contact information for retired coaches to send invitations.  His email is esslerd@nls.k12.mn.us

Jess Graba and Alison Lim, coaches for St. Paul’s two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Suni Lee, will headline the Capital Club breakfast meeting this Thursday at Mendakota Country Club. Minnesota Sports & Events CEO Wendy Blackshaw, who was responsible for bringing the 2024 US Olympic Gymnastics Trials to Minneapolis, will moderate the discussion.

Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve will speak to the club on March 19.  Also, the franchise’s president of basketball operations, Reeve has won four WNBA Championships with the Lynx.  More information about the Capital Club is available from Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

 

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