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Offseason activity kicks into gear
Minnesota hired Niko Medved. Texas got Sean Miller. And that was just for starters with Monday's coaching news. Plus, more than 700 players put their name into the transfer portal. We highlight some of the notable decision. Also, a look at the player production from the NCAA Tournament.
Mike Miller
March 25, 2025
Good morning! Did you put your name in the transfer portal, or get hired to coach somewhere on Monday? No? You may have been the only one. It was a jam-packed day of portal movement and carousel moves.
Let's dive in.
1. Can’t scout the portal without a coach
Know what makes it easier to evaluate which players are a good fit for your program? When you have a coach in place.
Five power conference schools announced coaching hires on Monday (some we known for days, some happened overnight), making yesterday one of the busiest college basketball transaction days of the year.
Don’t worry, I’ll get to the transfer portal in a moment.
First, Virginia and NC State rolled out the red carpet for their new hires.
Will Wade got hugs and the social media push (he’ll be introduced today), while the Cavs held their press conference for Ryan Odom. Sure, plenty of Cavs fans might only think of Odom as the coach behind one of the worst days in program history, but he was smart to have a clear vision: “I love offense,” he said. “We certainly want to play fast in transition, and we want our guys to get out and run.”
That might be overstating it a wee bit. Odom’s only had one team in the last seven season rank above 200 in pace, and that was three seasons ago at Utah State.
Meanwhile, the Big Ten filled its two open positions. Iowa made the Ben McCollum news official as the 23rd coach in program history.
“Returning to Iowa City as the head coach of the Hawkeyes is a dream come true for me and my family. The passion of Hawkeye fans is unmatched, and I am incredibly excited to get started,” he said in a statement. I believe it. McCollum was born in Iowa City. Peek at young McCollum with Iowa coaching legend Tom Davis.
As an aside, I can’t wait to see who Drake hires next. Its last three coaches — McCollum, Darian DeVries and Niko Medved — are the last three new coaches hired by Big Ten schools.
Yes, Medved, a Minnesota graduate, was hired by his alma mater to replace Ben Johnson.
Medved, 51, is 222-172 in 12 seasons as a head coach, and 143-85 in the last sevens seasons at Colorado State. He led the Rams to three NCAA Tournament berths. The Gophers would relish anything close to those results. He’s the ninth new coach hired by Big Ten schools over the last three seasons.
The other big coaching move was Texas snagging Sean Miller.
Miller, 56, is 487-196 in 20 seasons as a coach that includes 12 seasons at Arizona, sandwiched in-between two stints at Xavier.
When we were considering our next head coach, Sean Miller was a name that immediately came up as a perfect fit for us,” Texas AD Chris Del Conte said. “He certainly checks all the boxes, is exactly what we’re looking for in every facet as a leader, and in talking with him, he has a great plan and vision for our program.
But wait, there’s more!
Whew. Better get to the portal.
2. Names to know in Day 1 of the transfer portal
As noted above, more than 700 players put their names in the transfer portal on Monday, which is more than double the amount that hit the portal on Day 1 last year. (It opened the day after Selection Sunday, which makes me think more coaches had conversations with players and more players had their minds made up and were ready for this.)
Players have until April 22 to submit their names. Why is the portal open? Any later and it eats into high school recruiting.
ANYWAY, we’re not listing all those players here. But I do have a list of some names to monitor as coveted players.
