Didn't get to catch Niko Medved's introductory press conference on Tuesday afternoon? No worries, Gophers Nation has you covered with the complete transcript of everything that Niko Medved said on Tuesday.

Wow. Surreal being here today.

You know, first thing, obviously, I want to thank President Cunningham and Mark for believing in me and, you know, you're going to hear me talk a lot about this team together thing, but my team, my wife, Erica, who's been with me from the beginning, you have no idea what wives go through. My beautiful daughters, Allie and Taylor, already got their maroon and gold on. What? They were in green and gold, what, 36 hours ago? My dad, Miro, my mom, Karen, my brother, Antone, my brother, Alexi, my sister-in-law, Sarah, if you're already here in the gopher gear here today, you guys look great, but you know what? I want to start here.

I want to talk about Ben for a second, you know, and Ben is my friend. I've known Ben forever. He's part of gopher basketball history.

He played here. He poured his heart and soul into this program, and you know what? He's always going to be a part of this, and I just want to make sure that people understand that, you know, this has been a difficult time in college athletics. You know, part of him got thrown in the middle of this, and Ben's going to get another opportunity to be a head coach if that's what he chooses, and he's going to be terrific, and so I want to make sure that I say that today, and I hope, Ben knows he's always welcome around gopher basketball.

You know, listen, I know how rare it is to live a life that you dreamed of, and gosh, I think my dad, you were telling me yesterday via text, I think it was before I was born, so I'm 51, so before I was born, my dad had season tickets to gopher basketball. Maybe I was five or six years old, and I remember going to the barn and watching games. I remember where our seats were, their kiddie corner from where our gopher bench is now.

I grew up going to games. I love the energy in the barn. It's where I really started to love college basketball.

I had an opportunity. I played all the sports growing up. I had an opportunity to come as a student manager.

I've been an assistant coach here. I've taken my teams here at Furman and Drake to play. It's just a magical place, and so, you know, to be back here right now, it just feels surreal.

All I wanted was an opportunity to be a division one head basketball coach, and to see it all come full circle here is just really amazing. You know, why Minnesota? I've seen this place at its best. I believe we have everything it takes here to be successful.

We have one of the best universities in the country. We play in the premier league in the country. We have, in my opinion, the best community in the Big Ten.

We play in a historic venue that, in my opinion, okay, when it's right, is one of the best places to watch a game and be at a game in college basketball. And I just feel like now is the time, you know. We've went through this transition in college athletics, and now is the time more than ever that Minnesota's poised to take the next step forward.

I can't wait to get started. I can't wait to do it. I can't wait to pour my heart and soul into this.

You can count on me to do that, and what's interesting about Minnesota is, and I know this from growing up, and you'll hear this, you know, our slogan is team together, and it's going to take everyone to be successful. It does in every walk of life, but Minnesotans, when they care about their neighbors, they care about each other, they take a tremendous amount of pride in their state, tremendous amount of pride in their university, and when we rally together, this place is unbelievable. I've seen Minnesotans do that.

I've seen them come together and support something unlike anything, and I've seen it done here before, and I believe we can do that again. It's going to take all of us. It starts with me.

It starts with our coaches. It starts with the young people that we bring here into the program. You have my word we'll work on that to do that at the highest level, but it's going to take all of us, but you can feel it.

Minnesotans band together unlike any place that I've ever seen and been, and I know that having been here, and we're going to do that here. We're going to do that, and I think now in today's era, college athletics, we're more poised than ever to take the next step, and I look forward to seeing the barn packed, a big game maybe against a rival down south, down east, and finding a way to pull it out and having the fans celebrate, seeing ourselves back in the NCAA tournament, seeing ourselves playing in that game, vying to go to the Sweet 16, and building a consistent winner here, and I know when we do that, this place will rally. We'll rally to a level hopefully we've never seen before, so I'm really excited for the opportunity.

Go Gophers! I suppose people would, you know, you learn me. I can ramble forever. I kind of am who I am that way, but I think people probably want to ask me questions.

Yeah, I think that's a great question. I think, you know, there's a lot of things, but I think I really believe in what we do, and how we do it, and the formula to make that happen.

I think it's interesting. This is the third head coaching job I've had at a place that I was an assistant prior, and I think the one thing that does help you when you come in here, you kind of have an immediate vision of what that needs to look like, how you can hit the ground running, what works, you know, at a place like Minnesota. I think that really helps us.

Everybody knows it. It's no secret. We're in a changing landscape of college athletics.

I believe Minnesota and the Big Ten, with what's moving forward now, is going to be positioned from a RevShare, NIL perspective to compete. You know, I believe that the people from the top down understand that that's what it's going to take for us to compete. So, I think you put all those things together. Now is the time to really get this moving in the right direction.

Well, I think two things.

I mean, you can't win if you don't. I mean, everybody understands that, but I think it's also important to understand, just because you have the most money doesn't guarantee you're going to be successful. All you have to do is look around college athletics the last couple years.

So, I think both of those things do matter. You know, I believe this. I believe there's plenty of people here who want to get behind and support this, and I will say this.

Probably the one thing that's really unique is fans and people have an opportunity to directly impact our success in a way that they've never been able to before. So, I think part of it is our job, you know, getting people to believe in what we're doing, and really, hey, this is a program, a place, and people that I really want to get behind here to do that. I believe that the people here are committed to understanding what that looks like as far as raising money.

Heck, let's hope people today go out right when we're done with this and join Dinkytown Athletics, right? You know, but those are great questions. That's the truth of what's going on right now, but I think we can make it happen here. I really do.

I mean, I'm a big people person. I think where it's worked for us everywhere is just having the right people on board.

It starts with the staff. I mean, that's the number one thing is, you know, we've got to get that right, and I believe that we will. I've had tremendous coaches with me along the way.

A lot of them have had opportunities to become head coaches, other ones that are on their way, but it's all about starting with that support system, the people who all believe in what we're doing, pulling in the same direction. It's so different with players. I mean, listen, it's talent acquisition business, right? There's never been a great coach who hasn't had great players.

I just coached my third, you know, NBA player here, but the one thing that's in common about all the guys that we've coached, they're tremendous young men. So, they're talented, but they're tremendous young men, and they do want to be part of something bigger than themselves, and just, you know, they learn through that. They get everything they want individually.

So, I think it's talent, but it's finding the right people. That's the number one thing we have to do. Obviously, the transfer portal open.

Recruiting starts immediately, so staff and recruiting is the number one thing, and then right behind that is just engagement. It's engagement in the community. It's trying to get people to understand our vision, what we do, hopefully get people excited about that, and want to get on board.

Yeah, you know, that's a process.

I mean, I can say this, you know, unless he doesn't want to be here, Dave Thorsen will have the opportunity to stay with us. He's been with me. We go way back, and so I hope that's what happens.

I believe it will. I don't want to put Dave on the spot here, but I think he's all in. Can we count on you, Dave? All right, see, there we go.

He just heard it here, all right. You know, I will definitely bring, you know, some of my staff with me. Brian Cooley, who is with us, is here today.

Joe De Ciman is with us, is here today, but, you know, we have to get that working. You know, at Colorado State, you know, again, it started with us. I think we do a great job of player evaluation, player development, finding the right people to start with here.

It starts with our current roster. We've got some guys here in our current roster that, you know, love to have be a part of this moving forward, and hopefully we get an opportunity to do that here, even starting today. I've already had, you know, conversation that they're going to get excited about that, so it starts there.

As far as players, you know, at our other program, I'm not ready to go there yet. You got to understand, guys, I mean, I was in Seattle trying to beat Maryland to go to the Sweet 16, and we lose on the last, and it's just been an unbelievable season, and 20 hours later, I'm here in Minneapolis. It's the way that the world works today, so I think for those guys, I told every one of them when I talked to them how much I love them, how proud I am of them, and 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 don't want to take that from them.

They've earned that, and so those things are for another day.

They didn't call one, so that's all that matters.

No.

I mean, if I'm being honest, you know, it's no secret. I mean, they'd tell me. I remember, like, you know, I dream, I want to, I just, whatever I do to be a Division One head coach today would be a dream come true.

God, could you ever imagine, I mean, you know, being a head coach at Colorado State, you know, we'd been there as an assistant, you know, that came true, and then this was something, of course, I just, I dreamed of, and just to have it become a reality, it hasn't hit me yet, you know what I mean? Really, it hasn't hit me, but it will, but no, I couldn't, you know, but dreams can come true, you know what I mean? That's what life is, and if you really believe in something, and you stick with it, and you get the right people who support you, anything can happen, and it's amazing to be sitting here today. Welcome home. Nadine Babu from go4hole.com. Obviously, there's so much talk about NIL, but outside of NIL, what other areas of support do you feel that you need, or did you ask Mark Coyle about during your interview process? You know, I believe that everything else we do have here, you know, and some of those things, I think you kind of have to get into the, you know, the big time, the big 30,000 foot view things we have here.

I mean, look at this facility, you know what I mean, that we have. We're in the big 10. I mean, this is the premier, you know, conference in the country.

I believe those things. Obviously, you know, I'm connected. You talk to the right people, you know, who are here, and have said those things, and I think it also helps me to understand, like you said, Nadine, that I've been here before.

I kind of know what this looks like, and what works. I think as you maybe get further into it, right, you start, hey, you know, maybe this would be something that we need really to move us to the next level, and listen, I believe Mark and them are committed to doing that. I really do.

I mean, I think they know how important it is to get our program up and running, and I'm just excited to see that. You know, when it happens, I just think it's going to be transformative.

Gosh, it probably started for me when I had an opportunity to work the Nike All-American Camp, and Coach Haskins at the time got me in with George Raveling, and getting to kind of spend some time doing that, when look at some of the people that were working and that were involved with that, and it was maybe around that time where I really, I knew I always wanted to coach, but I'll be honest, growing up, somebody said, hey, you can be the head coach at Roseville High School. You know what I mean? You said, man, that would be awesome to get an opportunity to do that, and then as my career kept going, I kept dreaming bigger and bigger, and, but I would say it was kind of about that time when I really got to connect with those people, that I started thinking, you know what, this is what I want to do.

I think because I got into coaching because I love coaching.

I think there's so many other things that go into it. Obviously, everybody knows the financial gains, the notoriety, all that stuff that comes with it, but I know at my core that's not why I got into coaching. There was no money in coaching when I first got into it.

My parents will tell you it was just always something that was in me, coaching, teaching, mentoring, and there's all the other things that you have to be good at and skilled at to do it, but I think what's kept me in it is at its core, that's who I am, and it's like this season, you know, with this team that we had, it just brings back faith again that, you know, in everything that's going on in today's world, you get a group of guys that are just pulling for one another, and we're all pulling in the same direction. We love being together every day. They're willing to sacrifice, and so it's the way we've always done it, although the circumstances around it might be different, and we had, you know, unbelievable success, but it's that that keeps me going, that feeling of seeing people get better, teams get better, and just being a part of it, and that's always been with me, and it'll always be with me.

That'd be amazing, you know what I mean, and I mean, we want to be as good as we can now, you know what I mean? I mean, that's ultimately the goal to do that. That's one, but I think the big thing is we want to build something sustainable here. We want to have sustained success, so I hope that happens in year one, but the bigger thing is to have sustained success.

I mean, I want people who move to the Twin Cities or they're around to say, hey, have you been to go for a basketball game? Oh man, you gotta go to go for a basketball game if you can get a ticket, you know what I mean? That's my vision for this, and when you do that, it's because you built a consistent winner and you have a product that people want to come out and see, but short term, yeah, I mean, we want to be as good as we can next year. I mean, that is the goal starting today.

Oh man, it's not row the boat, you know, but for me, I mean, if you look at who I am, my players would tell you I'm the most competitive person they've been around. I may not come across like that all the time. What you see is what you get, but I'm a competitive dude now, but the other thing with me is I really value team, and so I've just always felt like, I got into coaching because I want to be part of something bigger than myself.

I think when you can get people to do that, to kind of sacrifice something and really invest in others and the team, it's really powerful things happen, and to be great, you need everybody involved. It starts, like you said, it starts with the coaches and the players, but it starts with the administration here, but then really, it's our fans, it's our supporters, all those things. We need everybody pulling in the same direction, and I think we really, you know, listen, if you want people to invest, you do that through connection.

I'm a big believer, you know, you get investment through connection, and so when you can connect with people that way and people feel connected to you and what you're doing in your program, I think that's where you really start to spur an investment, and I just believe in that, and the more people you get connected, the more people you get invested, it just starts to spiral, and that's what it's about. It's a slogan, but really for us, we try to live that as a way of life.

So listen, I follow this from a distance. I hear, I've heard all the knocking of the barn. I mean, again, I told you what that place means to me.

Here's what I would say, and I think we've done this at other jobs where people have, there's been this feeling of, you know, well, here's why we can't do it. Here's why it hasn't worked before, but to focus in on why we can, and here's the thing about the barn. I think we can turn that into a strength, you know.

I think we can turn that into a strength of the program, and everybody's talking about like, oh, this is the problem. I think it could be a strength, and I think it's one of the most historic venues in all of college basketball. Have you been to Fog Allen? Have you been to Cameron Indoor Stadium? Those places are not, you know.

Now, sure, down the road, are there enhancements you might have to make and do some things to try to modernize it? Yeah, but I love walking in that. I think when people walk in, you know who've all been there before. When that place is packed, there's a certain energy in there that's different.

You're on the stage than anywhere you go. There's ghosts in Williams Arena. Do you know what I mean? In a good way, you know, and so I just think that I look at it.

I want that to be a strength of our program is that, man, we got to go play in the barn tonight. You ain't getting out of the barn alive, you know, and that's going to take time, but I look at it that way.

Yeah, I think starting from the end, I mean, clearly, you know, the transfer portal is a big part of this, but we'll always recruit high school players. I think you always have to have players developing in your program.

I think that's really important. I think we've done that really well at the places that we've been. It's been funny growing up here as a kid to just watch high school basketball in Minnesota be transformed, and it's amazing.

When you're around the country, you talk to people. Everyone comes up here to recruit now because there's high-level players, you know. Obviously, we had an NBA player that came from Minneapolis that played for us at Colorado State.

We've got a few others, you know, on our roster on that way, so there's great talent here. There's terrific coaching. There's terrific resources around it.

I'm biased, but I just think basketball runs deep in the state of Minnesota. I think people are dying for a winner here. I think what helps us is, you know, I know a lot of these people.

I have close relationships and understand kind of the landscape and the history of how it works here. I think it starts one by one, but changing the narrative of you can come right here and have everything you need and want to be successful. You can develop personally.

You can develop as a player. You can win at the highest level. You can play in the best league in the country, and obviously, selling our track record, doing that, you know, how we've been able to do that at other players and getting people to believe.

Sometimes it just takes one. It takes one saying, I'm all in. I'm coming.

You know what I mean? I want to be a gopher, and then what happens? The next guy wants to do that, and so we'll work really hard on that, but it's not just Minnesota, you know. The Big Ten has a national brand. I think it's going anywhere that we need to go to find the talent and the people that we need to win.

Go to the NCAA tournament and do the things that we need to be successful.

I don't know that the banners aren't in the barn, so that's something we need to talk about. You know what? I can tell them, you know, I don't think, I've tried. I've already talked to them.

I mean, I've tried to get St. Thomas to play us, but they don't want anything to do with us, so that's a joke, everybody. You know what I mean? Like, I've heard that too or whatever, so I talked to Johnny, and he just like, I'm begging him to play, and he doesn't even want to play, so. No, you know, listen, I'm open to that for sure.

You know what I mean? I'm open to doing that. He does a great job, you know what I mean? And my brother went to St. Thomas. I think it's really cool to see them doing what they're doing.

I think that's awesome. I think it's awesome for basketball in the state of Minnesota, and I'm a competitive guy. It'd be fun.

I know, if you play St. Thomas, you better buckle up because they're really good, but I could see that happening at some point. Can I promise it's going to be next year? But I could see that happening, if he'll play.

I think part of that is, you know, I know where Mark stands on that and where we want to be, you know, positioned in our conference from a rev share perspective. I think part of that is just going to be, you know, when this ruling happens, right? Judge Wilkins rules on that, and I think we have to wait there to make sure, but I feel really, really comfortable that we're going to be positioned from a rev share perspective to do it at the level we need to.

I think what some of the stuff that I've heard, and I got to learn more what the Big Ten is doing with that, is really cool. I think we're at the forefront of, you know, understanding how we want to use rev share, something with standard contracts, all those things. So, again, I just think the Big Ten is the mothership around all this stuff, and I think we're going to be in a great position, I believe, when that ruling happens.

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