La Salle hiring Radford’s Darris Nichols as next head coach
Nichols, 38, will succeed Fran Dunphy, retiring from coaching at the end of the basketball season. Nichols went 68-63 and won 20 games twice in his four seasons at Radford.
Darris Nichols, the men’s basketball coach at Radford University, will be the next coach at La Salle, the school announced Tuesday.
Nichols, 38, will succeed Fran Dunphy, who is retiring from coaching at the end of this season.
Nichols went 68-63 with two 20-win campaigns in four seasons at Radford, where he grew up in southwestern Virginia. Radford, a state university with about 8,000 undergraduate and graduate students, was Nichols’ first head coaching job after 11 seasons as an assistant.
His coaching career began at West Virginia, his alma mater, in 2010. Before Radford, he spent seven seasons as an assistant under Mike White — one at Louisiana Tech and the next six at the University of Florida.
La Salle planned to make an official announcement after the Atlantic 10 tournament, but news of Nichols’ hiring was reported Tuesday morning. A press conference introducing Nichols will be held March 24.
“As we went through the process, it was clear that Darris was the right leader for our program, and the right coach to build on the rich legacy of La Salle men’s basketball,” La Salle athletic director Ashwin Puri said in a press release.
“Darris’ coaching philosophy is grounded in building team chemistry and supporting the development of student-athletes with an expectation of excellence on and off the court. It is no surprise his coaching philosophy matches his former playing style, one anchored in toughness and tenacity.
“It’s a brand of basketball that will be an exciting new chapter for the Explorer community and Philadelphia.”
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Radford went 20-13 this season, finishing 9-7 and in fourth place in the Big South Conference. Radford lost in the conference tournament semifinals to eventual champion High Point, 76-73.
According to a source, Nichols was attractive to La Salle because of his pedigree and the coaches he previously worked with.
A point guard, Nichols played four seasons at West Virginia under John Beilein and Bob Huggins, when the Mountaineers reached the Sweet 16 during his senior season, in 2007-08. His professional career was cut short after one season in Hungary because of a knee injury.
“I would like to thank President [Daniel] Allen and Ash Puri for giving me this tremendous opportunity,” Nichols said in a release. “My family and I are excited to move to Philadelphia and continue to build on the recent success at La Salle.
“I’m excited to get to work with the athletics staff, administration, and student-athletes, and I promise that I will do everything I can to make our students, alumni, and fans proud of their Explorers on and off the court.”
Nichols in February 2023 was arrested and eventually pleaded guilty after being charged with driving under the influence. Nichols was briefly suspended by Radford and returned to coaching the team during its postseason run.
Nichols, according to the Roanoke Times, returned to court later that year after a “positive reading on an ignition interlock device that tests for the presence of alcohol.” That charge was later dismissed.
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Nichols faces an uphill climb at La Salle. The Explorers have not finished a season with a winning record since 2015. La Salle also lags behind the top of the A-10 in financial resources.
The Explorers (13-18, 5-13 A-10) are the 14th seed in the conference tournament and begin tournament play Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. against 11th-seeded Massachusetts in Washington (USA network). If La Salle wins, it would play St. Joseph’s on Thursday.