Scoggins: Niko Medved’s homecoming signals a new beginning for a program fighting for footing

The birthplace and college alma mater on his biography serve as bonuses, the equivalent of beautiful landscaping surrounding a house.

Those things aren’t prerequisites for the job, nor are they the most important thing that Niko Medved brings as the new Gophers men’s basketball coach.

Nothing on his résumé trumps Medved’s head coaching experience.

He’s been there, done that.

Happy Minnesotans will cheer news that athletic director Mark Coyle landed “one of us,” but the real celebration should be that Coyle hired a coach who has spent more than a decade as a Division I head coach.

That makes this a smart choice. Probably even a home run choice.

The Big Ten is too cutthroat competitive to be used as a training ground. Ask any coach who has been part of the league and they will mention how well-scouted and prepared opponents are coming into games.

The league features elite coaching and elite talent. Add to that wealthy institutions who are committed financially in terms of name, image and likeness and revenue sharing, and Coyle’s edict could not have been clearer:

Find a veteran head coach because experience matters.

We know Medved can coach because he has shown it at three schools, most recently Colorado State. He is a winner. None of that guarantees he will solve the program’s longstanding inability to win consistently, but his hiring is not a leap of faith with someone who will be sitting in that lead chair for the first time or has only minimal familiarity.

Medved has navigated college basketball’s new landscape as a head coach. He’s dealt with the transfer portal and NIL. He’s guided multiple teams to the NCAA tournament. He’s managed games in pressure situations. He has put his stamp on programs. Fans know what his offense looks like.

So much excitement and anticipation surrounded Medved’s name that Coyle would have found himself under siege in public opinion if he missed on this outcome. Coyle landed the guy who was No. 1 on his list, much like he did with P.J. Fleck. He didn’t let a sizable buyout stand as a roadblock with a personnel decision that carries vital importance to the health of Gophers athletics. The AD got it right.

Medved’s background as a native Minnesotan, U graduate and former Gophers assistant made him a popular candidate. Those things matter because Medved loves the school and knows what he’s inheriting. He won’t need Google Maps when he travels to introduce himself to area coaches and players.

Coyle got half of the equation right. Now comes the other half that is just as important.

The university must step up financially and provide Medved with the resources to compete on the same level with peers. That onus falls on boosters, too, with NIL support.

No coach wants to feel set up to fail. That’s especially true for a coach returning to his hometown. Medved must have believed in his heart that Minnesota is legitimately ready to make the necessary financial commitment to support the program.

His background likely made it an easier sell, but Medved had options. West Virginia reportedly targeted him. Coyle knew that tugging at heartstrings without addressing purse strings might have left him with a mountain of regret.

Coyle had to operate quickly to land his guy, knowing there were other potential suitors and with the transfer portal opening on Monday. Medved faces the daunting task of basically building an entire roster from scratch.

That process would have been more complicated if Colorado State had not lost to Maryland on a last-second shot on Sunday night in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Even if Medved had been unable to be hired for another week (or longer), he still would have been the right choice because the Gophers view this relationship through a long lens, not just one year.

Medved will have a plan because head coaches always have a plan. He knows how to build and maintain a program. Only the situation is different.

His homecoming signals a new beginning for a program fighting for footing. The local kid returning to lead his alma mater’s program is a wonderful storyline. It’s even better that the local kid brings with him a track record of success as a head coach.