Syracuse, N.Y. – Former Syracuse basketball star Demetris Nichols is set to join the Orange coaching staff as a graduate assistant coach.
The details have not been finalized, but Nichols fully expects it to happen.
“I am excited. I haven’t been able to sleep all week since I found out the news,” he said in a phone conversation. “The door is so narrow to get into coaching and I knew that if I was going to get into coaching, this is the time.
“I’ve had other opportunities. People have asked me to coach when I was still playing. I turned down those offers because I was still playing and was still at the peak of my playing career. But this is an opportunity that you can’t pass up. Being able to be around Coach Boeheim every day and just learn and just ask questions is great.”
Nichols, 36, graduated from SU in 2007 and played more than a decade of professional basketball before deciding to end his playing career. A foot injury helped spur that decision.
With his playing days over, he wanted to transition into coaching. Nichols and his family live in Syracuse. The chance to get a master’s degree at SU and to begin his coaching career here seemed like a dream.
“Obviously, I love the game. I love talking about the game, I love watching the game and I love helping. And the opportunity came my way,” he said. “A spot was open and I was one of the people that they considered and I was honored and privileged to step into the role. I’m looking forward to it. I think I could help. I think with my experience, playing professional for 13 years, I think that I have a lot of things that I can share to help these young men.”
Nichols graduated from SU with a degree in communications and will pursue a master’s in TV, radio and film. He has dabbled in sports broadcasting on the radio and TV sides, but will likely shelve his broadcasting ambitions for now to focus on schoolwork and coaching.
Coaching, he said, “is my direction.” It’s where he wants to make his professional mark. His classes, he said, will prepare him to edit film and help polish his media skills. The basketball court will act as another classroom.
“I’ll be traveling, I’ll be working out guys before and after practice and helping out as much as I can,” he said. “I can ask questions and just be around a Hall of Fame coach and be around the other three assistants that are going to be coaches someday. I think it’s just a great opportunity. It’s perfect.”
Nichols’ addition means five former Syracuse players will now be members of the coaching staff. Nichols was a teammate of Gerry McNamara. Allen Griffin was an Orange administrative assistant when Nichols played at SU. And Adrian Autry, he said, “has been a great mentor to me.” Jim Boeheim, of course, has overseen the program as its head coach since 1976.
Nichols scored 1,344 points in his Orange career, averaged 18.9 points per game his senior season and was a unanimous All-Big East first-team selection. He paid his dues his first two college seasons and developed into a terrific scorer and 3-point shooter. He played professionally in the United States and abroad.
Now, he begins his coaching career at the place that shaped him as a basketball player.
“I’m privileged to just help and be that presence in the locker room, in practice and trying to help these young men to be great players and to be better people,” he said. “I know what it takes and I’m going to give them everything I have.”
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