Darris Nichols has coached five seasons at Florida since coming to Gainesville in 2015, helping lead the Gators to a 108-65 record in Gainesville, including four straight 20-win seasons and three consecutive NCAA Tournament bids, both streaks that were likely to be extended in 2020.
Nichols, a member of Coaches 4 Change, garnered a spot in ESPN.com’s 40 Under 40 in the summer of 2020, rated #17 on the national list that included both head coaches and assistant coaches. He was also rated the #2 assistant coach in the SEC in a Stadium poll of coaches around the league. The Radford, Va., native has coached three future NBA players at Florida in Dorian Finney-Smith, Devin Robinson and Chris Chiozza.
Florida posted a 19-12 mark in the 2019-20 season, in line for another NCAA Tournament bid before its season, along with the rest of the sports world, came to a standstill on March 12, 2020. The Gators earned the Charleston Classic championship, led by MVP Keyontae Johnson, defeating 18th-ranked Xavier in the championship. It marked UF’s first holiday tournament championship since 2009. The Gators also posted a 69-47 rout of #4 Auburn in Gainesville.
The 2019-20 season also saw two of the largest rallies in Florida history, as the Gators came back from 22 points down vs. Georgia, matching UF’s largest ever, and 21 down against Alabama.
Johnson and Kerry Blackshear Jr. earned All-SEC honors, and Scottie Lewis locked up a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team. In SEC play, the Gators led the league in field goal percentage (.470) and 3-point percentage (.376), while Noah Locke led the conference in 3-point percentage (.481).
The Gators accomplished all that while fielding one of the youngest teams in the nation and what would’ve been the youngest team in the entire NCAA Tournament field.
Florida’s 2018-19 season featured the team bouncing back from a 12-11 start to earn not only an NCAA Tournament bid, but a first-round victory against 20th-ranked and seventh-seeded Nevada, in which Nichols handled the scout. The Gators started three freshmen for the first time in 20 years and each of them turned in high-level seasons, as Noah Locke set UF’s freshman record for 3-pointers (81), SEC All-Freshman honoree Andrew Nembhard racked up 196 assists, the fourth-highest single-season total in Florida history, and Keyontae Johnson turned in four double-doubles, including three in the postseason.
The Gators led the SEC in scoring defense, allowing 63.6 points per game, and 3-point field goal defense, permitting opponents a .316 clip from long range.
During the 2017-18 campaign, the Gators put together one of the nation’s top collections of victories and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. UF’s six wins vs. top-25 teams during the regular season tied for most in the country, and its 10 RPI Quadrant 1 victories ranked second nationally. Florida posted a third-place SEC finish in a season that was widely regarded as one of the strongest, if not the strongest, in the conference’s history as eight SEC teams earned NCAA bids.
Florida led the SEC in turnover margin (+4.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.3) in 2017-18, and All-SEC point guard Chris Chiozza led the conference with 6.2 assists per game and a 3.4 assist-to-turnover ratio. Chiozza set the Florida career record with 571 assists and became the second player in Florida history to dish 200+ assists in a season.
Florida’s offensive firepower was undeniable, as five different players combined for 22 individual 20-point performances. The Gators twice hit 17 3-pointers in a game (vs. Gonzaga, at Texas A&M), which tied for the third-most in a game in Florida history. Overall, five of the top 11 single-game 3-point performances in UF history have come during Nichols’ time on the bench.
The Gators put on a memorable show at the PK80 Tournament over Thanksgiving, averaging 101 points over three games, including an epic double-overtime win vs. Gonzaga in which Jalen Hudson scored 35 points and Chiozza became the first Gator in more than 20 years to record a 25-point, 10-assist performance. Over the three games in Portland, UF shot .486 from the floor and .513 from 3-point range. The Gators climbed to No. 5 in the AP poll following the event, the team’s highest rank since Florida finished the 2013-14 regular season at No. 1.
UF opened the season scoring 100+ points in four of the first five games, marking the first time UF ever reached the century mark four times in a five-game span. The Gators also set season-opener school records for most points (116) and most 3-pointers made (15).
In 2016-17, Florida earned a 27-9 record and reached the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The Gators finished second in the SEC with a 14-4 record, matching the second-most conference wins in team history. Florida climbed as high as 12th nationally in both the AP and coaches polls and hit No. 3 in RPI and KenPom rankings.
The Gators boasted an All-SEC first-teamer in KeVaughn Allen, as well as SEC Sixth Man of the Year Canyon Barry and second-team All-SEC and All-Defensive Team honoree Kasey Hill. During the 2016-17 season, the Gators posted a top-10 season in school history in nine different categories including points and blocked shots.
The Gators went 21-15 in Nichols’ first season with the team, reaching the quarterfinals of the NIT. UF posted the first top-10 win in nearly five years, defeating ninth-ranked West Virginia.
At Florida, Nichols has coached three eventual NBA players in Dorian Finney-Smith (Mavericks), Devin Robinson (Wizards) and Chris Chiozza (Rockets).
A four-year letterwinner at West Virginia under Bob Huggins and John Beilein, Nichols helped the Mountaineers to a 26-11 record and a trip to the 2008 NCAA Sweet 16 his senior season.
Nichols joined White’s staff in 2014 and helped guide Louisiana Tech to the 2015 Conference USA championship as guard Kenneth “Speedy” Smith garnered C-USA Player of the Year and AP All-American honors. The Bulldogs went 27-9 on the season and advanced to the NIT quarterfinals. The 2014-15 season also produced a 15-3 conference mark and a perfect 17-0 home record. Three players – Kenneth Smith, Raheem Appleby and Alex Hamilton – earned all-conference recognition, the most Bulldogs to receive the honor since the 1991-92 season.
In one season at Wofford, Nichols helped guide the Terriors, who were picked to finish sixth in the league by the coaches, to a 20-win season and a Southern Conference Tournament championship, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. In that NCAA Tournament game, Nichols was on the opposite bench from his former head coach, as Beilein’s Michigan team topped the 15-seed Wofford. The Terriors finished 20-13, including 11-5 on the SoCon.
Throughout the season, he helped develop freshman Eric Garcia who was selected to the All-Rookie team and led the conference in assist-turnover ratio. As a whole, the Terriors led the SoCon in assist-turnover ratio, field goal percentage defense and 3-point field goal percentage.
Prior to joining Wofford, he spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Northern Kentucky where he helped transition the Norse from Division II to Division I.
In 2012-13, Nichols was the defensive coordinator and the squad ranked second in the Atlantic Sun in scoring defense, while also being two wins shy of tying the record for most ever by a Division I transitional team. In the process, Nichols developed Eshaunte Jones who was named Atlantic Sun all-conference first team. The team finished with an 11-16 mark, including 9-9 in the A-Sun.
In his first year at Northern Kentucky, the team went 23-7, tying the school record for best start in school history (13-0) along the way, and participated in the Division II Tournament. The guards, coached by Nichols, led the GLVC conference in 3-point field goal percentage and 3-point field goals made.
Nichols, a native of Radford, Va., shined as a player in the Big East. He scored 993 career points and dished 399 assists while shooting at a .375 clip from 3-point range. He averaged 10.7 points per game as well as 3.2 assists per game as a senior on the way to WVU’s Sweet 16 run. He was also a member of the 2007 NIT Championship, 2006 Sweet 16 and 2005 Elite Eight teams and finished his collegiate career as a top five most winningest player in Mountaineer history.
As a junior in 2007, Nichols dished out 4.6 assists per contest and averaged 10.9 points per game as WVU posted a 27-9 record. He led the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio and was named to the NIT All-Tournament Team. The team reached the NIT final thanks to Nichols’ game-winning 3-pointer in the semifinals versus Mississippi State.
Nichols was also twice a recipient of the Big East Academic All-Star and Sportsmanship Award and earned the 2008 Fred Schaus Captain Award for WVU intercollegiate athletics.
After graduation, he played professionally overseas with Atomeromu SE Paks of the Hungarian League's A Division. He returned to his alma mater for one season, working with the basketball staff throughout the season and coordinating summer basketball camps.
Nichols earned his bachelor's degree from WVU in sociology and is married to the former Courtnie McKinney.
Nichols Timeline
| 2015-present |
Florida |
Assistant Coach |
| 2014-15 |
Louisiana Tech |
Assistant Coach |
| 2013-14 |
Wofford |
Assistant Coach |
| 2011-13 |
Northern Kentucky |
Assistant Coach |
| 2010-11 |
West Virginia |
Graduate Staff Assistant |
| 2004-08 |
West Virginia |
Student-Athlete |
