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Gophers may have their best backcourt in years, and Niko Medved knows it
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- Gophers may have their best backcourt in years, and Niko Medved knows it
Minnesota doesn't begin its 2026-27 regular season until Nov. 2, but October will still be a very busy month . That started Thursday when head coach Niko Medved, Jaylen Crocker-Johnson and Isaac Asuma made the trip to Rosemont, Ill., for the Big Ten's annual "Media Days" event. Medved's most interesting comments might've been about a player who wasn't even there.
Every team usually brings veteran leaders to the event, and this is the second straight year that Medved has opted to bring Crocker-Johnson and Asuma with him. Both returnees will be key to Minnesota's 2026-27 success, but the integration of North Carolina transfer guard Kyan Evans could determine Minnesota's ceiling.
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"It's like having another returner. Honestly, this will be his third year playing for us. He was a part of that championship team (at Colorado State) — a team that had an opportunity, a bucket away from going to the Sweet 16," Medved said of Evans.
Evans played two seasons for Medved at Colorado State before transferring to North Carolina last season. He struggled to find his footing in Chapel Hill, averaging just 4.0 points per game, and he'll look to have a similar bounce-back season to the one Cade Tyson had a year ago after transferring from UNC to Minnesota.
Evans averaged 10.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game in 2024-25, while shooting 47.1% overall, 44.6% from three-point range, and 85.2% from the free-throw line. He looked like a potential star in the making at the college level, but that didn't happen at North Carolina.
With Langston Reynolds graduating and now trying to return to Northern Colorado, the Gophers have to fill a lead guard position alongside Isaac Asuma. Evans has that job, giving him a golden opportunity to bounce back and have a huge year at Minnesota.
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"Having him back, and very quickly you could see he was able to kind of reestablish himself and what we do," Medved explained. "He's comfortable and confident in how we play, our terminology, and his role in it. And especially at that position, he's a guy who can make others better and has some moxie and swagger about him. Really, it feels like having another returner back."
After scoring 23 points in Colorado State's upset win over Memphis in the first round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, Evans looked like a guy who could average 15 or more points at a power-conference school. Minnesota hasn't had a guard average more than 12 points per game since Payton Willis averaged 15.9 points in 2021-22.
"Guard play wins in March" is a phrase that is often said in college basketball circles when the NCAA Tournament rolls around. Minnesota's guard play has been among the worst in power-conference hoops since Richard Pitino was fired in 2021.
Asuma knows the system and is expected to be a leader, but the addition of Evans could give Minnesota its best backcourt since the program's last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2018-19 , when Amir Coffey and Dupree McBrayer shared the backcourt.
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This story was originally published by Bring Me The Sports on Oct 9, 2026, where it first appeared in the MN Gophers section. Add Bring Me The Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
