One of Minnesota’s newest players hopes to fit in like one of its oldest veterans.
Kyan Evans is set to make his team debut when the Golden Gophers tip off against North Dakota on Monday night in Minneapolis.
The 6-foot-2 guard is new to campus but knows Minnesota coach Niko Medved quite well. Evans played two seasons under Medved at Colorado State before transferring to North Carolina last season, and now he joins the Golden Gophers as a senior transfer.
Meanwhile, Medved enters his second year in Minnesota after the program hired him away from Colorado State before the start of the 2025-26 campaign. He guided the Golden Gophers to a 15-win season despite a parade of injuries in Year 1.
Medved said Evans will strengthen the team on and off the court.
“I think that’s huge,” Medved said. “It’s like having another returner.
“Very quickly, you can see that he was able to reestablish himself in what we do. He’s comfortable and confident in how we play and our terminology and his role in it. Especially at that position, he’s a guy that can make others better and has some moxie and swagger about him. So really, it feels like having another (returning player) back.”
Evans joins a Minnesota roster that returns three high-scoring starters: Jaylen Crocker-Johnson (13.4 points per game in 2025-26), Isaac Asuma (10.9) and Bobby Durkin (10.2).
North Dakota will try to play the role of spoiler in the season opener for both teams. The Fighting Hawks are coming off an 18-17 season under coach Paul Sather. Zach Kraft (8.1 ppg) and Josh Jones (2.8 points, 3.3 rebounds) are the top returning players.
Sather said he is excited to see what his players can do against a tough nonconference slate.
“We’ve been working through the summer and this fall, and one thing that stands out more than anything is this is just an awesome group of people,” Sather said. “It’s been fun to work with them. As a coach, I’ve done this long enough to know what we’re heading toward. …
“I’m looking at our nonconference schedule right now and we open up at Minnesota, at Winthrop and at Clemson. … That’s how we start, on the road, those three games. I’m going to tell you, it’s a way you find out quickly how tough we’re going to be. I don’t mind that kind of start.”