Niko Medved outlined one of his biggest challenge as the new Gophers men’s basketball coach during his introductory news conference last week.
“Listen, it’s a talent-acquisition business,” Medved said from the U’s practice courts on March 25.
Medved will be putting in overtime to remake the U roster going into his first season at Minnesota. Through his first week on the job, Medved has kept two players on the roster from last season — rising sophomores in guard Isaac Asuma and forward Grayson Grove.
Two of the three incoming freshman signed under former coach Ben Johnson — center Parker Jefferson and guard Jacob Ross — have asked out of their national letters of intent, while a third, guard Kai Shinholster, has yet to share his intentions for next season.
Eyes are on whether some of Medved’s former players at Colorado State could join him in Dinkytown. A few Rams players have entered the portal since Medved’s departure, primarily 6-foot-2 sophomore guard Kyan Evans and 6-foot-9 forward Jaylen Crocker-Johnson.
Evans averaged 10.6 points and 3.1 assists in 36 games last season. The Kansas City, Missouri native shot 47% from the field and 45% from 3-point range last year, and poured in 23 points off six treys in 12th-seeded Colorado State’s win over No. 5 Memphis in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Crocker-Johnson averaged 9.0 points on 49% from the field and 4.4 rebounds last season. The San Antonio native spent his freshman year at Little Rock and won the Ohio Valley Conference freshman of the year award with 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds.
A week ago, Medved steered clear of whether he would bring in former players, pointing out how his news conference came less than 48 hours after Colorado State lost to Maryland in Seattle with a Sweet 16 berth on the line.
“I told every one of them, when I talked to them, how much I love them, how proud I am of them,” Medved said about the Rams. “They just need to take a couple of days here to process what happened, to be proud of what they did and enjoy it because I do. I don’t want to take that from them.”
If you count Shinholster, Medved needs to fill 10 scholarship spots. He was asked by the Pioneer Press last week what attributes he was looking for in new additions. He answered more broadly.
“I think anyone can look at a film and understand what their skill set (is), the way they shoot, pass, handle, their balance,” Medved said. “All the different skills that you look for, vision.
“But I want guys,” Medved continued. “There’s like-it guys, love-it guys, and there’s live-it guys. You got to love it or live it to have a chance. If you don’t love basketball, this isn’t gonna be the program for you. And you gotta have highly competitive people, who really want to ...
