Niko Medved has been active in the transfer portal this offseason as he looks to build his first Gophers roster since becoming head coach. Roster construction strategy seems to dramatically change every year, but Medved has an interesting perspective.
Medved spoke to national college basketball analyst Jeff Goodman with The Field of 68 on Monday, and he compared his transfer portal strategy to his ongoing house search back in his home state.
“Everybody at that point and time was still trying to get a feel for the market a little bit,” Medved told Goodman. “It’s like buying a house, I am trying to buy a house. It’s like ‘Hey, do you like that house?’ But, it depends, do I like it, depending on what the price is.”
Medved revealed to Goodman that his family is currently searching for a house, as his two daughters finish their school year back in Colorado. In the meantime, he said that he’s living in an apartment near campus. It has been less than two months since he was hired, but he has been busy building his first staff and roster.
“You can put people up on the board all you want and say, ‘I like that guy, or that guy.’ But now you have to factor in this whole other level,” he continued. “One of the things we’ve always done, and we’ll continue to do, is we really want to get great people. So, I think it starts with, even in this chaotic time, can we leverage the network we have and everything? Can we find some great dudes, man? Our best players have been our best people.”
For example, Minnesota had Lincoln Memorial (D2) transfer guard Wes Enis on campus for a visit early in the process, but they opted to go in a different direction, and Enis signed with USF. The Gophers only have a certain allotment of money to spend, and they have to strategically use it.
The ongoing House vs. NCAA settlement and the potential of revenue sharing down the road have made this offseason one of the most fascinating from a team-building perspective. It’s clear that Medved and his staff have a plan, and they’ve been sticking to it so far.
Minnesota still has four roster spots available for next year’s team. There have been some rumblings of interest in potential transfer portal recruits, but it’s interesting to get a peak behind the curtain and hear how a coach approaches the changing landscape of college basketball team building.
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