Gophers men’s basketball coach Niko Medved added size to his frontcourt Wednesday with San Jose State transfer Robert Vaihola signing with the program.
Vaihola, a 6-8, 260-pound junior, had familiarity with Medved’s Colorado State teams while facing them in the Mountain West Conference the last four years.
After starting his career at Fresno State, Vaihola spent the last three years at San Jose State. He averaged 7.5 points a game and led the Spartans with 44 blocks and 7.5 rebounds per game in 2024-25.
“I’ve played against Coach Medved probably eight times,” Vaihola told the Star Tribune. “He knows my game. I know his playing style. I love the way he coaches his team. I love the way he adapts to his players. I just thought it was a great fit.”
Vaihola had six double-figure rebounding games last season, including a career-high 19 boards against Fresno State. He tied a career-high with 18 points in a 71-70 win vs. Richard Pitino’s New Mexico squad. He also recorded a career-best seven blocks in a win vs. Air Force in Mountain West play.
A native of San Mateo, Calif., Vaihola entered the transfer portal two weeks ago. He did a zoom call with Medved and the Gophers earlier this week and plans to visit next week.
With thousands of names in the portal, Vaihola wasn’t really on the Gophers’ radar until former Colorado State graduate assistant Anthony Holland let them know about him. They were former teammates and roommates at Fresno State. Holland is expected to join Medved’s staff with the Gophers.
“[Holland] kind of put me in their ear,” Vaihola said. “Coach Medved knew my game well, but Ant helped out a lot in my recruitment, too. [Medved] just likes high-character guys who are going to be bought in. I think I can do that very well for him.”
