WVU grad Darris Nichols to face former team
Deep down, Darris Nichols is still a Mountaineer.
Even though his playing days with the West Virginia basketball team are now long over, he still looks proudly back on his time spent in Morgantown.
"“When I was going through the whole recruiting process I remember (former Beilein staffer) Bill Lilly was at Radford for a long time and when he went over with Beilein I had a relationship with him. He told me if I played basketball at West Virginia University they will remember you forever,” Nichols told WVUsports.com “I’m in high school and I’m not thinking anything of it, so I play four years there and then I come back for a football game and I’m walking around and I can’t go from one tailgate to the next without people coming up to me speaking to me. That’s how the Mountaineer fan base is – how supportive they are.”"
Nichols was recruited by Coach Beilein and played three seasons for him. When Beilein left for Michigan, Bob Huggins stepped in and had Nichols, then a senior, there to lead the team.
"“What people don’t realize about him – and a big reason why his guys always get better – is because he’s a storyteller,” said Nichols. “Kids nowadays always want to hear a story and he has a story for everything because he’s coached so many different players. He can kind of tell you why he’s doing this and there is always a story behind it and that story always sticks with you.”"
Nichols ran the offense has a talented point guard in a much different offensive scheme than the Mountaineers utilize today. Under Beilein, WVU took a lot of 3-pointers, moved the ball around and relied on speedy guard place.
The defense was a complete 180, too. Then, the Mountaineers focused on a 1-3-1 zone.
"“I was talking to (assistant coach) Larry (Harrison) the other day and I said, ‘Larry, y’all are playing different than when I was there. Huggs was holding me back! He wouldn’t let me get out there and press like you guys are doing!’” Nichols joked. “It shows that great coaches can adapt to the pieces they have. He’s done an unbelievable job with the guys that he’s brought in.”"
Personally, Nichols took a big leap from his sophomore to junior season. He averaged three points per game in his first two seasons and 10 points per game in his last two seasons.
Now, he’s leaping through the coaching ranks.
After working a job at Morgantown’s Waterfront Place Hotel, when his overseas professional career didn’t pan out, Nichols worked as a graduate assistant under Huggins.
From there, Nichols held assistant coaching posts at Northern Kentucky, Wofford, Louisiana Tech and now, Florida. It just so happens that the Mountaineers play the Gators on Saturday.
It won’t be long before Nichols, who is only 30 years old, takes over his own Division I program.