14. Niko Medved (Minnesota)
Nearly thirty years ago Medved graduated from Minnesota and was briefly an assistant coach for the Golden Gophers. It’s only fitting that he’s trying to revitalize the program all these years later. The Minneapolis native was really solid in his first few head coaching gigs, starting turnarounds at Furman and Drake before leading Colorado State to three NCAA Tournament appearances.
After leading the Rams to the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Medved made his way to Minnesota and is still getting started. Year one certainly didn’t jump off the page, with the Golden Gophers finishing 11th in the league and settling for a trip to the College Basketball Crown, though it was at least an improvement from before his arrival.
It’s far too early to make any judgments on Medved; after all his first year at Colorado State was even worse at just 12-20. He’s a program builder and needs time but Big Ten programs aren’t quite as patient as those in the MVC or MWC. He’s accomplished plenty of exciting things in recent years and the faithful in Minneapolis are hoping there is a step forward in 2027.
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