FORT COLLINS — The Colorado State men’s basketball program has selected Niko Medved as its head coach.
Two sources close to the situation told The Denver Post on Thursday afternoon that CSU intended to hire Medved, and about two hours later the program made it official. Medved, a former CSU assistant coach (2007-12), replaces Larry Eustachy, who resigned in late February during an internal investigation into his conduct and treatment of players.
Medved will be introduced as CSU’s head coach at a 10 a.m. Friday news conference in Bob Davis Hall on the south concourse of Moby Arena. The event is open to the public and parking is free.
“We are extremely excited to have Niko assume the leadership of our basketball program,” CSU athletic director Joe Parker said in a news release. “Throughout our discussions, he showed a great understanding of what basketball means to Colorado State University and the community while demonstrating how much he has developed in his five years as a head coach.”
Medved, 44, earned the reputation as a program builder after two previous head coaching stints. He led Drake for the past year and guided the Bulldogs to a 17-17 record, their best since the 2011-12 season. Before that Medved served as Furman’s head coach and raised the team’s win total from nine to 23 over a four-year span. Medved’s career head coaching record is 79-87.
Former CSU coach Tim Miles hired Medved as an assistant coach in 2007 and he quickly developed into one of the Rams’ top recruiters. When Miles left for Nebraska in 2012, Medved was the lone holdover on staff. He coached one season under Eustachy as the Rams reached consecutive NCAA Tournaments for the first time since 1989-90 and beat Missouri in the opening round.
“My family and I are ecstatic to have the opportunity to return to Fort Collins and Colorado State University to become the head men’s basketball coach,” Medved said in a news release. “This is obviously an incredibly special place to me, and to my family. Some of the best memories I’ve had personally and professionally happened at Colorado State. We have tremendous leadership from the top down and we look forward to partnering with everybody in the Fort Collins and Colorado State communities to build Colorado State basketball into one of the premier programs in the Mountain West.”
Among Medved’s more prominent CSU recruits was Dorian Green, a guard from Lawrence, Kan., who signed with the Rams in 2009. Green started all four years at CSU, appeared in a school-record 130 games and ranks inside the top-five in program history for career assists, 3-point baskets and made free throws. Green spent one season as an assistant coach under Medved at Furman before accepting a graduate manager role at Nebraska last year.
“(Medved) was 100 percent the reason I came to CSU. He and Miles, but really he was the guy who recruited me. The same with Pierce (Hornung), Wes (Eikmeier), the Smiths (Greg and Dwight) and all the Midwestern guys,” Green said. “He’s a guy who’s teaches the game and is focused on developing players. He’s a great recruiter and someone guys want to play for and fans want to cheer for. And I think everyone around CSU should be excited that he’s coming back.”
Andy Ogide transferred to CSU from Ole Miss in 2007, earned second-team all-conference honors as a senior, competed for the Nigerian team in the 2016 Rio Olympics and he currently plays professional basketball in Italy.
“So happy for Niko and the CSU community,” Ogide said. “What he’s done since he has left CSU has been incredible, and I have no doubt he’ll do the same in Fort Collins. He recruited me to CSU so I might be biased, but his work speaks for itself. Niko’s a great coach, but I think the great relationships Niko is able to build and maintain will help bring the community back together.”
CSU enlisted the help of Fogler Consulting, a college basketball coaching search firm, to aid in its decision to hire Medved. CSU also interviewed Montana head coach Travis DeCuire, South Dakota head coach Craig Smith, Utah assistant DeMarlo Slocum and Oklahoma assistant Chris Crutchfield, a source close to the search told The Denver Post.
Medved inherits a roster in potential flux with at least two players — center Nico Carvacho and forward Kris Martin — announcing on Twitter they will explore transfer options with a return to CSU still possible. The Rams finished last season 11-21 (4-14 Mountain West).
This story will be updated.