Lytle: Niko Medved raised the bar, now Colorado State must continue to move forward
Niko Medved elevated the possibilities for Colorado State.
He took over a program that few were still on board with.
He ends his time at CSU with the Rams leaving the NCAA Tournament as one of the darlings of a March Madness that was desperate for a Cinderella.
His resume is sterling:
- 143-85 record, the second-most wins in CSU men’s basketball history.
- His 62.7% win percentage is best in program history.
- Three NCAA Tournament’s in the last four seasons (plus an NIT Final Four the year before).
- Coached the Rams to two of their six all-time NCAA Tournament wins.
And don’t forget where the program was when he took over. The Larry Eustachy era hit a messy end during the 2017-18 season. The Rams sputtered to an 11-21 record in and emptied out the fan base with Moby Arena nearly empty by the late-season games.
He quickly rebuilt. Early on Medved and staff signed a superstar class, headlined by Isaiah Stevens, David Roddy and John Tonje.
That group helped lead the Rams back to the postseason. They continued building with talent and wins incoming.
Nique Clifford was reformed as a Ram. Going from a under-utilized piece at Colorado to a future NBA first-round pick as a Ram. Roddy was a first-round pick. Clifford likely will be. Stevens is on an NBA two-way contract.
It’s a run of talent the likes of which CSU has never seen.
Likewise, the on-court success hit a new level. CSU had only made the NCAA Tournament 10 times before Medved took over (and five of those were before 1970).
Throw in his time as an assistant (2007-13) under Tim Miles at CSU and Medved has been part of five of the 13 all-time NCAA Tournament appearances and three of the six Big Dance wins.
He capped it with a magical run. The Rams of 2024-25 went from poor in November and December to one of the best teams in the nation from Jan. 1 on.
CSU won 11 games in a row and blasted through the Mountain West tournament for the program’s first league title since 2003. They added a first-round win over Memphis in the NCAA Tournament and barely missed on a historic, dramatic late-winner to upset Maryland in the second round.
The business side of college sports hits hard and fast, and it’s brutal for fans how quickly this now turns.
But CSU is now operating from a position of strength.
Medved built an incredible base of success.
Now it’s up to CSU administration and fans to continue to add rocket fuel to the blaze.
Rare in the history of CSU athletics has there been a chance to grab momentum and build on it.
Medved has the thing rolling and now it’s time for CSU to carry it on.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Niko Medved raised the bar, now Colorado State must keep moving forward
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