On Thursday, the Minnesota Gophers confirmed that Armon Gates, a seasoned assistant coach, will join Dave Thorson and Brian Cooley on Niko Medved’s inaugural coaching staff at Minnesota. The university noted that additional staff announcements will follow later. Gates brings 16 years of assistant coaching experience, most recently from Oklahoma over the past two seasons.
Thorson, previously with Medved at Colorado State, joined Ben Johnson’s staff at Minnesota before transitioning to Medved’s team, while Cooley followed Medved from Fort Collins. Medved hinted at retaining both Thorson and Cooley during his introductory press conference earlier this month.
Dave Thorson
A prominent figure in Minnesota basketball, Thorson is widely regarded as one of the state’s sharpest basketball minds. He secured nine state titles as head coach at DeLaSalle High School before joining Medved’s initial staff at Drake. He later moved with Medved to Colorado State and returned to Minnesota, bringing his deep local ties and coaching expertise.
Brian Cooley
Cooley served on Medved’s Colorado State staff for the past four seasons, helping the Rams reach three NCAA Tournaments. Prior to that, he was associate head coach at Wright State from 2016 to 2021 and spent nine seasons as an assistant at South Dakota State, adding a wealth of mid-major experience to the Gophers.
Armon Gates
The younger brother of Missouri head coach Dennis Gates, Armon Gates has built a strong reputation over 16 years as an assistant coach. His career includes stops at Kent State, TCU, Loyola Chicago, Northwestern, Nebraska, Oregon, and, most recently, Oklahoma for the last two seasons. Known for his recruiting prowess, Gates enhances Medved’s staff with significant experience.
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