8 insights from Niko Medved as Minnesota Gophers open fall practice

The Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team began fall practices on Monday. The first exhibition game is just over three weeks away on Oct. 16 against North Dakota State. That gives head coach Niko Medved just enough time to work out some final kinks before the nonconference schedule begins in early November.

Medved spoke with the media on Monday and provided insight on eight interesting topics. Here's what he had to say...

What does he love most about the team?

"I just really love them as human beings. I think their approach so far has been terrific," Medved said. "I think because of that, this group is going to continue to get better."

"We spent a lot of time in the early summer installing our offense," Medved continued. "I've seen a team that's really played unselfish so far in the summer. Now, the lights aren't on, there's no opponent across from us. But I think those things, from a cultural persepctive, have been really encouraging so far."

What will Medved's offense look like?

"Spacing, ball movement. I think you'll see a team that off the ball, you don't see a lot of standing around," Medved explained. "When the ball's moving and people are moving, I think that's been a staple of what we do. It's one thing to do it in the summer. It's a lot different thing to do it as you start getting up and down, you get fatigued and there's another opponent across from you."

What about the defense?

"I'm hopeful that we have some versatility, particularly on the wings. A toughness, a grit about us. The way we communicate," Medved said. "You have to figure out as a coach what some of your strengths are and what might be potential shortcomings. Who can pressure the ball? Who maybe can't be as aggressive? Who are our disruptors? Rebounding. How are we going to rebound? What are some things that we can switch? Just learning how to read and play off each other's strengths and weaknesses. Again, we're a team that's going to play mostly man to man. We'll play some zone, but right now, we're at the infant stages of what we're going to do."

How will they play as an undersized team in the Big Ten?

"We have to play incredibly physically. Even though we're a little bit undersized, that's something that has to be a staple of what we're doing," Medved said. "In my opinion, it is the most physical league in the country."

"We're a little bit undersized, but I think we got some tough guys. Listen, just because a guy's big doesn't mean he's a great rebounder or he's a smart player and he's a tough player and all those things. But yeah, I do think we're going to be a little bit undersized at times this year in this league, but that's OK. We gotta find a way to mitigate that and find what our strengths are and leverage those."

Early thoughts on Isaac Asuma?

"He's a really talented young man, but he's just an exceptional dude. I just love being around this guy every day," Medved said of Asuma. "He just needs to continue to get better and kind of find that fire in him and that confidence that he can really be a guy. I think you'll start to see him grow that way this year."

How good is Jaylen Crocker-Johnson?