Colorado State University students react to Niko Medved leaving program hours after nearly making Sweet 16, "It hurts"
Students and staff at Colorado State University who were already navigating a devastating loss in the NCAA Tournament Sunday night were dealt a second blow Monday morning, as Head Coach Niko Medved announced he is leaving the men's basketball program. Medved, who has served as head coach of the team for seven seasons, announced he took a job at the University of Minnesota.
"I woke up and I was dumbfounded," said Mike Walsh, a CSU senior and fan of the basketball team. "I didn't think it was going to happen, especially this fast. We lost yesterday to a buzzer beater. It would have been to the Sweet 16."
Under Medved, the CSU Rams have been the most successful men's basketball program in Colorado for several years now, making three of the last four NCAA men's basketball tournaments. The team has also been ranked several times in recent seasons.
This year the Rams came one point shy of making the Sweet 16 after winning the Mountain West Tournament.
"It is such a hard thing to fathom because he has been so successful at CSU," Walsh said.
Medved's departure to Minnesota had been predicted by some for years now. He grew up just 15 minutes away from the university and attended the university for his studies.
Minnesota, which is part of the BIG10, is considered a larger program with a bigger budget when it comes to recruiting and NIL spending.
"He did a lot for the program. So, a lot of students including myself are bummed about that," said Payton Barill, a sophomore at CSU.
Barill has followed the team closely for two years now, watching several players succeed to the level of being NBA draft prospects and selections.
"I don't think it was a huge shock. He has done a ton for the program and his success has been recognized across the board," Barill said.
Walsh said the Rams' success in recent years clearly drew more attention to Fort Collins and likely contributed to Medved becoming a strong candidate for bigger programs.
"It hurts because Niko is such a good head coach," Walsh said. "Three out of the last four NCAA tournaments, we were on such an upward slope. This feels like it sets us back just a little bit."
CSU announced they have promoted an assistant coach to manage interim head coach duties while they complete a national search for the next head coach of the Rams.
Barill said she is still a fan and optimistic that the next full time head coach can try and keep the team's success on track. However, she did worry that Medved's departure will also be met with some players leaving as well.
"I think it will definitely impact the program," Barill said. "They have had the most success this season that they have had in a long time. I think losing him as coach will mean the roster gets broken up a bit, not to mention we are losing a few key seniors."
Both Barill and Walsh said they fully recognize why Medved took the job, especially with his ties to Minnesota. However, they said that doesn't mean they aren't also disappointed with the challenge it leaves for the Rams.
"(CSU fans have) got to be happy for Niko, even though they are upset he is leaving the Rams high and dry," Walsh said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Rams five days away from start of ‘MauiCamp'
The NFL is making a return to Hawaii next week, as the Los Angeles Rams are set for their minicamp ('MauiCamp'). The Rams who previously traveled to Hawaii back in 2019 for a NFL Preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, will hold a 4 day minicamp on the island of Maui starting Monday June 16th. 'It is a really cool opportunity,' said Los Angeles Rams Head Coach, Sean McVay. While the Rams will be holding on field workouts for the team, they will also be off the field helping out the Maui community. 'You just talk about some of the similarities in what the L.A. community has gone through, what the Maui community has gone through. A chance to be able to, you know, broaden the reach and then, you know, there's going to be a lot of people that are excited to see our players,' said McVay. 'And I think this will be a great chance for us to be able to, you know, bring families, you know, do some fun stuff, to be able to connect. And then also be able to give back to the community. You know, you just have a lot of cool people that have a heart for others.' Stick with KHON2 Sports for continuing coverage of the Los Angeles Rams 'MauiCamp'. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Fox News
2 hours ago
- Fox News
Female athletes contest new NCAA ruling, claiming violations of federal anti-discrimination law
Eight women's college soccer, volleyball and track and field athletes have filed an appeal challenging the House v. NCAA antitrust settlement. U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken approved the settlement last week, clearing the way for direct payments from universities to athletes. The eight women argue female athletes won't receive their fair share of $2.7 billion in back pay for athletes barred from making money off their name, image and likeness (NIL). Kacie Breeding of Vanderbilt; Lexi Drumm, Emma Appleman, Emmie Wannemacher, Riley Haas, Savannah Baron and Elizabeth Arnold of the College of Charleston; and Kate Johnson of Virginia lead the appeal. They all previously filed objections to the proposed settlement. Ashlyn Hare, one of the attorneys representing the athletes, said in a statement the settlement violates Title IX, the federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in education. "We support a settlement of the case, but not an inaccurate one that violates federal law. The calculation of past damages is based on an error that ignores Title IX and deprives female athletes of $1.1 billion," Hare said. "Paying out the money as proposed would be a massive error that would cause irreparable harm to women's sports." The House settlement figures to financially benefit football and basketball stars at the biggest schools, who are likely to receive a big chunk of the $20.5 million per year that colleges are permitted to share with athletes over the next year. Some athletes in other sports that don't make money for their schools could lose their partial scholarships or see their roster spots cut. "This is a football and basketball damages settlement with no real benefit to female athletes," Hare said. "Congress has expressly rejected efforts to exempt revenue-generating sports like football and basketball from Title IX's antidiscrimination mandate. The NCAA agreed with us. Our argument on appeal is the exact same argument the conferences and NCAA made prior to settling the case." The appeal, filed by the law firm Hutchinson Black and Cook of Boulder, Colorado, was first reported by Front Office Sports. It will be heard by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
San Francisco Chronicle
2 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Seahawks receiver Cooper Kupp enjoying settling in with new team
RENTON, Wash. (AP) — When it comes to food recommendations in the Seattle area, new Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp is open to suggestions. Just not from fellow newcomer and quarterback Sam Darnold. The veteran quarterback invited Kupp to get dinner with him earlier this offseason, and some of the suggestions caught the 31-year-old wide receiver off guard when recalling the night after the first of two minicamp practices at Virginia Mason Athletic Center, which concluded Wednesday. 'The way he came off was he wanted to go get some fries and chicken strips,' Kupp said on Tuesday. 'Look, I have a 6-year-old. I can bring you his food. I can bring that, and I'll go eat something good. It ended up being fine. He ventured out and was, like, OK. He was at least willing to try some stuff. I may have misread him. We'll see. Time will tell.' Time will also tell how well Kupp fits in with a new franchise after spending each of the past eight seasons with the Los Angeles Rams and signing a three-year, $45 million contract with the Seahawks in March. In some ways it's a homecoming for Kupp, who grew up watching the Seahawks, is from Yakima, Washington and played at Eastern Washington. He still has plenty to acclimate to, though, after all that time with an NFC West rival. Kupp referred to joining a new team as 'exciting.' 'It's been a long time since I learned a new offense, a long time since I sat in a meeting and had to put a face on the board and what's this guy's name?' Kupp said. 'That's a stressful situation. That's a high-stress situation. It's good, though. I'm excited about what we're doing, and it is fun.' He's eager to work with new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, whose system has some similarities to what is run by the Rams and their coach, Sean McVay, as well as San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan and his scheme. Kubiak was the 49ers passing game coordinator in 2023 when Darnold was also with the team. 'There's going to be the nuances here and there, things like that, but a lot of similar stuff, a lot of similar ideas in how you're attacking a defense,'' Kupp said. 'I believe in this offense and what it takes to make it successful and the detail that's involved with it. … There's definitely some stuff that accentuates the things that I've done in the past.'' All Kupp has done in the past is produce — and more recently, struggle a bit to stay on the field. Each of the past three seasons, Kupp has failed to play in more than 12 games, which in part led the Rams to let the Super Bowl 56 MVP leave in free agency. Kupp said that he felt good physically, and he looked the part each day of minicamp when running routes. He faces quite the task in adding to a receiver room that is paced by third-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is fresh off his first 1,000-yard season. Veteran receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling is also on the team, and he spent half of last season playing under Kubiak when the latter was the New Orleans Saints' offensive coordinator. Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald has been impressed by both wideouts' approaches to learning Seattle's offense. 'They're attacking every day, man,' Macdonald said. 'Just trying to master the playbook, all the formations, all the route steps, all the timing. If you have that spirit about you every day, I mean, it's contagious, one, with the rest of the room, with the rest of the offense, the whole team. It makes it fun to go to work and enjoy the process. But, of course, that's going to expedite your growth when you have guys like that.' Still, Kupp recognizes he has much learning to do between now and when the Seahawks open their season on Sept. 7 against the 49ers. It's in part why he's already spent a bunch of time in Macdonald's office picking his brain. Kupp has enjoyed settling in with a new team and that the internal belief is what has resonated with him most. 'For any of this stuff to work, for all the goals and all the things we want to set out to achieve, it's the understanding that we're going to ultimately achieve it together,' Kupp said. 'It's going to be playing for each other. … Man, what can I do to be better for the guy next to me? This is a place that guys embody that, and they believe it. I think that makes it a fun place to come into, a fun place to come work.'
