The process to find the next Gophers men's basketball coach has gone from a search to the waiting game.

While Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle and his staff are silently preparing to hire Ben Johnson's replacement as soon as possible, Colorado State AD John Weber can't help but talk about his coach's future.

Rams coach Niko Medved, a Minnesotan and ex-Gophers assistant, is the favorite to take over at Minnesota, his alma mater. But Colorado State opens NCAA Tournament play at 1 p.m. Friday in Seattle as the 12th seed against fifth-seeded Memphis.

In an interview Wednesday morning with KOA Colorado 850 AM, Weber was asked if he had been contacted by other schools about Medved.

"Coach Medved is certainly an elite coach," Weber told the radio station. "We're blessed to have him with us.

"He's taken us to the tournament three of the last four years. When he's had that level of success, there's always going to be people that are knocking on your door. But we're excited to have him as our coach and look forward to that continuing."

Medved, who hasn't addressed the Minnesota rumors, is 142-84 during his seven-year tenure in Fort Collins. That includes five 20-win seasons, three NCAA Tournament appearances and the first Mountain West tournament title in 22 years. He signed a contract through the 2030-31 season.

The Gophers finished 15-17 under Johnson this season and are currently in the hands of assistant coach Dave Thorson, who was Medved's assistant at Colorado State before leaving in 2021 to join Johnson's staff.

An important date for the Gophers and every college basketball program is next Monday. The transfer portal officially opens. That will be the start of the rebuilding process for many teams for next season, but the Gophers could still be waiting for their next coach.

Other Medved suitors?

The Gophers might not be the only ones after Medved. Iowa is another Big Ten opening. And West Virginia just lost Darren DeVries to Indiana. DeVries, who followed Medved as the Drake coach in 2018, only coached one season at West Virginia.

Reportedly, the Mountaineers were interested in Medved previously because of his ties to the area. Medved's wife, Erica, is a West Virginia native and was a star athlete at Morgantown High.