MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Saying he had returned home, Darris Nichols officially took the reins Wednesday of the Radford men’s basketball program in what is his first job as a head coach.
Nichols was a four-year standout at WVU from 2004-08, where he played in three NCAA tournaments and was a starter on the 2007 NIT championship team.
“It’s special to be back,” said Nichols, a Radford native. “I think about this journey and home has been where the basketball bounces for the longest period of time, but this one is different. Regardless of whether the ball bounces or not, this is home.”
Nichols signed his contract Tuesday night. He agreed to a five-year deal worth $300,000 in annual base pay.
Nichols was an assistant coach at Florida for the past six seasons under head coach Mike White.
“Darris is many things. A former great player, a leader, a great teammate, an old soul, a consistent grinder, an ethical worker, a commanding presence on the court, and an awesome human being,” White said in a statement. “It’s a big-time hire by Radford. He’s more than ready to come home.”
Nichols also had previous coaching stops at Louisiana Tech, Wofford and Northern Kentucky.
After playing professionally overseas after college, Nichols’ first coaching gig was as a graduate assistant at WVU under Bob Huggins for the 2010-11 season.
“With Bob Huggins, I learned just how relentless he is with you every day,” Nichols said. “He is going to push you to the limit and he’s going to get more out of you than you thought you had.”
Nichols replaces Mike Jones, who was hired as the head coach at UNC Greensboro on Monday.
The Highlanders, a member of the Big South Conference, finished 15-12 this past season with a relatively young roster.
Radford averaged 22 wins per season from 2018-20 and made the NCAA tournament in 2018.
“I think the different experiences I’ve had, not only the experiences as a coach, but as a player,” Nichols said when asked what would help him to be a head coach for the first time. “I was telling the team, I understand what they’re going through. I’ve been through a coaching change as a player. I’ve been through one as a coach, coming in after a Hall of fame guy in Billy Donovan (at Florida). We stepped into that situation and (the players) were like, “Who are these guys?’
“These guys may be saying the same thing about me. I think with all of the different coaches I’ve worked for, I can kind of blend it in and create my own identity.”
Nichols said it was important as a coach to not only be involved with his players while competing during the season.
“When people think about influences through coaching, most of them think about Xs and Os,” he said. “The biggest thing I learned from guys that I have worked with is a lot of things that are helping these guys off the court. I think if you can get to them off the court, then that’s the biggest part of coaching.”
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