Niko Medved is soon to be the former coach of the Colorado State men’s basketball team.
Medved is expected to depart after one of the best seasons in program history. Multiple national reports say he will take over his hometown Minnesota program.
Medved leaves big success to follow after one of the best runs CSU men’s basketball has ever seen. The Rams made the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2025 for the first time since 2013. The 26 wins in 2024-25 were second-most in a season for the Rams.
He’s the second-winningest coach in program history. CSU made the NCAA Tournament in three of the last four seasons (and added an NIT Final Four the year before) and two of the six all-time NCAA Tournament wins for the program came under Medved.
Who’s next? It’s very possible the next head coach of the Rams is already in the building.
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There are a number of feasible options the program could look at or interviews athletic director John Weber and university administrators could conduct to see how the job is viewed and to hunt ideas. The transfer portal is now open, though, so CSU will want to work quickly.
Not many names on this list will be a surprise, but the connections make sense given the tightness of the coaching tree around Medved. CSU is hiring from a position of strength, with a program carrying momentum and a new Pac-12 conference coming soon.
Here are possibilities.
Ali Farokhmanesh, Colorado State associate head coach
Farokhmanesh is the most obvious candidate and considered by many the heavy favorite for the job. He’s never been a head coach but has built a standout resume as an assistant.
Farokhmanesh was an assistant under Medved for a season at Drake before following to CSU, where he has grown his role into that of associate head coach.
He’s a March Madness legend, from hitting the marquee shot to topple No. 1 Kansas while at Northern Iowa in 2010, but his regard in coaching circles goes well beyond that moment.
Farokhmanesh has led CSU’s recruiting efforts, especially with successes in Texas and the Midwest. He worked closely with CSU legend Isaiah Stevens and now with point guard Kyan Evans, who had his own March Madness moment in a win over Memphis. He also helped land Nique Clifford as a transfer from Colorado.
He is a very well-liked and respected coach among CSU’s roster through the years.
Farokhmanesh also spent time working under former CSU coach Tim Miles at Nebraska.
There have been head coach job offers for Farokhmanesh that he has turned down and now he may be in line to try and continue CSU’s success.
CSU has likely already done its work internally discussing Farokhmanesh’s candidacy and if he’s the clear No. 1 things could move quickly.
Tim Miles, San Jose State head coach
Speaking of Miles, any interest in running it back? Miles is stuck in a bit of basketball purgatory leading an under-funded, under-supported San Jose State program.
“He’s a terrific coach. I don’t think they even realize what they have there (with him),” Medved said of Miles after playing San Jose State late this season.
Miles led CSU from 2007-12 (with Medved as an assistant) before leaving for Nebraska. His career record (240-282) isn’t the most glamorous, but he’s always taken over programs needing a rebuild. He is highly regarded around the Mountain West as an excellent X’s and O’s coach who out-performs his resources.
He’s still well-liked in Fort Collins. CSU now has thrown financial support behind the program. How could Miles thrive with better resources? It could be worth a conversation from both sides, something that could have already happened if CSU believed a change was coming.
Craig Smith, former CSU assistant and former Utah coach
Noticing a theme? The Miles-Medved tree and connections seem likely to be heavily involved. Smith was a CSU assistant under Miles from 2008-12 and considered a candidate for the job then before former AD Jack Graham went with Larry Eustachy.
Smith has been a head coach at South Dakota, Utah State and Utah. He was let go at Utah in February. He’s 218-141 all-time with two NCAA Tournament appearances. He hasn’t landed another job yet.
Steve Smiley, Northern Colorado head coach
Smiley led Northern Colorado to within a game of the NCAA Tournament this season. The Bears won the Big Sky regular season before falling in the tournament title game.
Smiley is 89-71 in five seasons at UNC and his son Madden is a star for state champion Windsor. Smiley helped UNC snap a 14-game road losing streak to CSU in 2022.
Smiley was an assistant under Jeff Linder prior to becoming head coach. He played high school ball at Pomona in Arvada and a move to a better conference and program with more resources could be of interest to Smiley.
Other names to watch
Here are some other names to watch, with various levels of likelihood of being involved.
Ross Hodge, North Texas head coach: Hodge is in his second season as head coach at North Texas. The Mean Green are 26-8 and in the NIT and Hodge is 44-23 in two seasons. Hodge spent four seasons as an assistant at CSU under Eustachy. He was one of the most successful junior college coaches before becoming a Division I coach.
JR Blount, Iowa State assistant coach: Blount has spent the last four seasons helping Iowa State reach consistent success and the Cyclones were a No. 3 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament. Blount spent three seasons under Medved at CSU where he was a key part in the recruiting and rebuilding of the program. He has not been a head coach.
James Miller, Oklahoma State associate head coach: A longtime assistant head coach at many spots. Miller is currently at Oklahoma State. His previous stops were two years at Mississippi State, two at New Mexico State. Miller is a CSU graduate (where he served as a student manager) and also has a master’s degree from Northern Colorado. His first coaching job was at CSU-Pueblo.
Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle on X and Instagram @Kevin_Lytle.
