Where do Niko Medved and the Gophers go from here?

You could feel it before the first scrimmage.

Laughter bounced off the walls. Sneakers squeaked in rhythm as the Gophers lined up along the sideline like kids on the last day of school — grinning, stretching, waiting for their name to be called. When it was, they sprinted across the court, teammates cheering and high-fiving as they flew by.

Thursday’s practice — Minnesota men’s basketball’s final session of the summer — had the energy of a paper-tossing, homework-shredding sendoff. But before the break, one last workout remained.

What followed was fast, physical and loud. Ghost screens. Backdoor cuts. This team moved like a group with real chemistry already — impressive considering it’s almost entirely new.

“They’ve been working really, really hard,” Niko Medved, who was named head coach in March, said. “I think they picked up what we want. I think they’re having fun, and I want them to be excited about coming back.”

Here are four things to know from Medved’s first summer as head coach:

Medved opened his press conference by sharing a personal reflection on returning to Minnesota, calling it a “big full-circle moment.”

“I told Coach [Haskins], ‘It doesn’t feel right when I’m down in Williams Arena and I’m sitting in your chair in your office,” Medved reflected. “Something doesn’t feel right about that.”

Medved worked for Haskins as a student manager when he attended the University in the 90s and has long held a genuine appreciation and lasting respect for the former Minnesota coach.

“That was a really cool moment for me that I saw, ‘Wow, I’m back and I have the job of a guy I just admired so much,’” Medved said.

One of the biggest revelations for Medved in his return is how dramatically the program’s infrastructure has evolved. He described the Cunningham Basketball Performance Center, opened in 2018, as “eye-opening,” “unbelievable,” and “among the best in the country.”

Compared to the old days of sweating through summer workouts without A/C at The Barn, Medved sees the new setup as a luxury, recruiting tool and development hub.

And in the competitive era of NIL and the transfer portal, top-tier facilities like the Gophers’ matter.

“Having this facility, I think it really helps us,” Medved said. “It helps us be able to do our job.”

With only three returners, this roster is nearly unrecognizable from last year.

Medved said he’s already impressed by the group’s versatility and shot-making ability, noting that “shooting’s a huge premium here.”

“I think we’ve got some guys who can put it in the basket,” Medved said, with a caveat. “Now, it’s a lot different putting it in the basket here [in a] workout than drilling it with a hand in your face at Mackey Arena in January.”

Still, Medved said it’s too early to lock in rotations.

“I think we have some depth at certain spots,” he said. “I think this is a group that maybe we could play a lot of guys... who plays with each other? Can we play a smaller lineup? Can we play a bigger lineup? I’m a little ways away from figuring out roles yet.¨

Minnesota’s schedule will bring plenty of challenges — and a few changes. Exhibition games can now be played against Division I opponents. The Gophers will welcome North Dakota and North Dakota State for open scrimmages in October.

“We tried to talk to a lot of the different local teams about doing that,” Medved said. “So that’s one thing that’s different... we tried hard to get a Power Four opponent.”

“If you guys can help,” Medved continued, motioning to the reporters in attendance, “we called everybody in the country, so don’t think it wasn’t for effort. ”