Darris Nichols opens up about rebuilding La Salle basketball in NIL era
For La Salle University, the
NCAA Tournament
is a reminder of what it hopes to get its program back to. As they rebuild, the Explorers are turning to Darris Nichols as their new men's basketball head coach after
Fran Dunphy retired
.
"The people, the energy they have around this place. The enthusiasm they have to get it going in the right direction," Nichols said. "I want to embrace challenges, and that's what I felt from them in the interview process."
In four years as head coach at Radford University, Nichols posted two 20-win seasons with a 68-63 overall record.
The Explorers haven't had a winning season in 10 years. At Radford,
Nichols helped turn the program
almost immediately. Accountability was what Nichols preached to his Highlanders teams.
"The biggest thing is not making excuses and being flexible," Nichols said. "You have challenges at every job. I know what the challenges are here, and I'm excited about those challenges. I've seen them before. Finding guys that aren't going to complain. Finding guys that are going to buy into what you believe and the family feels."
Nichols is tasked with turning the Explorers program around in Philadelphia while also managing the new-age challenges in the game with the transfer portal.
"It's really hard," Nichols said about whether culture and transfer portal coexist. "We don't use the world 'culture.' We use the word 'environment.' I think culture is long term. It takes a long time to get that culture. A lot of times you don't have that kind of time, so we focus on the environment that we create as a program."
This is a new culture with
name, image and likeness (NIL)
. It seems like universities with bigger budgets are able to get the top players, leaving it more difficult for small programs to compete. Nichols plans to attack that by making sure he nails player evaluations on the recruiting trail.
"It goes back to evaluation. Sometimes we've taken players where people say, 'I don't know if he's good enough,' and he turns out to be really good," Nichols said. "But we may not be able to keep that player. I'm OK with that. You have to be flexible, and your evaluations have to be spot on in what you do. You can't have a missed step with that."
Unlike modern philosophy in the game, Nichols is going big — literally — in what he likes to call, "Finish at the rim culture."
As Nichols builds out his roster, the new La Salle head coach is looking for players with one specific quality.
"We play differently. We play with two bigs," Nichols said. "A lot of people play with one, some people play with none to space the floor and shoot threes. Find the guys that fit us and are really tough guys. it's something we've had success with."
Nichols hopes to build off his success at Radford by cultivating a blue-collar team that matches the toughness of the city.
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Short hops: Wildcats are back in Omaha for first time since going 0-2 in the 2021 CWS under current LSU coach Jay Johnson. Dawson Netz, who made relief appearances in both games, is a graduate manager. ... Hale played on Arizona's 1986 championship team. ... White's 48 career homers rank second in program history. The Tucson native has hit 35 of them at road or neutral sites. ... Wildcats' 36 triples lead nation. ... Pluta's 14 saves are a school record. Quotable: 'We're going to go there, put our best foot forward and try to win our fifth national championship.' — Hale. ___ Louisville (40-22) Coach: Dan McDonnell (791-357-1 in 19 years at Louisville and overall). Road to Omaha: Won Nashville Regional: beat East Tennessee State 8-3, beat Vanderbilt 3-2, beat Wright State 6-0. Won Louisville Super Regional: beat Miami 8-1, lost 9-6 to Miami, beat Miami 3-2. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-0. Last CWS appearance: 2019. All-time record in CWS: 4-10 in 5 appearances. 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King is on a tear, having gone 12 for 22 (.545) with two homers, three doubles and eight RBIs in six tournament games. ...Moore leads the nation with 51 stolen bases and has been caught stealing just once. ... A thumb injury has forced Alicea, a switch hitter, to bat left-handed exclusively since the start of May. ... Biven moved from the closer's role to weekend starter in May. He has received a no-decision in all four starts but allowed just five earned runs over 17 1/3 innings. Quotable: 'We're going to Omaha to win it all. We're not just going there just to play.' — King. ___ Oregon State (47-14-1) Coach: Mitch Canham (223-101-1 in 6 years at Oregon State and overall). Road to Omaha: Won Corvallis Regional: lost to Saint Mary's 6-4, beat TCU 7-2, beat Saint Mary's 20-3, beat Southern California 14-1, beat Southern California 9-0. Won Corvallis Super Regional: beat Florida State 5-4 in 10 innings, lost to Florida State 3-1, beat Florida State 14-10. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-0. 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Short hops: The Beavers surpassed 100 home runs for the second consecutive season. The 103 are the second-most in program history, trailing the 2024 club's 118. ... Five home runs in Game 3 of the super regional were a postseason program record. ... Beavers are 5-1 in elimination games this postseason. ... Talt has walked 62 times, fifth-most in the country. Quotable: 'When we're all hitting, it's dangerous. No one can really compete with us.' — Caraway. ___ Murray State (44-15) Coach: Dan Skirka (209-150 in 7 seasons at Murray State and overall). Road to Omaha: Won Oxford Regional: beat Mississippi 9-6, beat Georgia Tech 13-11, lost to Mississippi 19-8, beat Mississippi 12-11. Won Durham Super Regional: lost to Duke 7-4, beat Duke 19-9, beat Duke 5-4. 2025 record against CWS teams: 0-0. Last CWS appearance: None. All-time record in CWS: 0-0. Meet the Racers: C Will Vierling (.316, 10 HRs, 52 RBIs), 1B Luke Mistone (.340, 4, 53), 2B Dom Decker (.361, 0, 48), SS Conner Cunningham (.257, 7, 38), 3B Carson Garner (.281, 17, 59), LF Dan Tauken (.257, 11, 76), CF Jonathan Hogart (.339, 22, 65), RF Dustin Mercer (.356, 0, 39), DH Nico Bermeo (.305, 1, 7). Starting pitchers: RHP Nic Schutte (8-4, 4.85 ERA), RHP Isaac Silva (9-2, 5.09), RHP Kane Elmy (6-2, 4.45). Relievers: RHP Reese Oakley (3-0, 5.64), LHP Dylan Zentko (4-1, 4.38), RHP Graham Kelham (4-1, 4.40, 9 saves), RHP Jacob Hustedde (2-0, 5.09), LHP Ethan Lyke (2-1, 4.64), RHP Jack Wajda (2-3, 5.56). MLB alumni: Jack Perconte, Kirk Rueter, Pat Jarvis. Short hops: Only the fourth No. 4 regional seed to reach the CWS, joining Fresno State (2008 national champion), Stony Brook (2012) and Oral Roberts (2023). ... This is Racers' fourth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2003. ... 44 wins are program record. ... 10.8 runs per game in NCAA Tournament ranks second. ... Hogart has hit a nation-leading eight of his 22 homers to lead off a game. ... Kelham has recorded four saves and one win over his last five appearances, and his nine saves are a program record. Quotable: 'Hopefully, it motivates everybody. This team could do it with 28 newcomers and three new coaches. Came together and hit their stride at the right time.' — Skirka. ___ UCLA (47-16) Coach: John Savage (723-479-2 in 21 seasons at UCLA; 811-563-3 in 24 seasons overall). Road to Omaha: Won Los Angeles Regional: beat Fresno State 19-4, beat Arizona State 11-5, beat UC Irvine 8-5. Won Los Angeles Super Regional: beat UTSA 5-2, beat UTSA 7-0. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 0-1. Last CWS appearance: 2013. All-time record in CWS: 9-9 in 5 appearances (won 2013 national title). Meet the Bruins: C Cashel Dugger (.276, 3 HRs, 25 RBIs), 1B Mulivai Levu (.319, 12, 85), 2B Phoenix Call (.258, 3, 31), SS Roch Cholowsky (.367, 23, 73), 3B Roman Martin (.320, 9, 58), LF Dean West (.315, 4, 40), CF Payton Brennan (.304, 6, 39), RF AJ Salgado (.313, 12, 52), DH Blake Balsz (.246, 1, 24). Starting pitchers: RHP Michael Barnett (12-1, 4.09), RHP Landon Stump (6-1, 4.54), RHP Wylan Moss (2-1, 2.47). Relievers: RHP Jack O'Connor (3-0, 1.80), RHP August Souza (0-0, 5.40), RHP Easton Hawk (1-1, 4.84), LHP Chris Grothues (4-1, 4.94), RHP Cal Randall (2-1, 3.09), LHP Ian May (7-3, 5.00). MLB alumni: Chris Chambliss, Todd Zeile, Jeff Conine, Bobby Grich, Chase Utley, Eric Karros, Brandon Crawford, Troy Glaus, Jackie Robinson, Don Slaught, Eric Byrnes, Shane Mack, Mike Magnante, Matt Young, Gerrit Cole, Trevor Bauer. Short hops: Bruins were Big Ten regular-season co-champions in their first season in the league. ... Their .372 batting average in the NCAA Tournament ranks first. ... UCLA more than doubled its win total from 2024, when it went 19-33. ... Cholowsky is Big Ten player of the year and defensive player of the year. ... Cholowsky's 23 home runs are the most by a Bruins player since Forrest Johnson in 2000. ... Bruins lead the nation with 63 double plays. Quotable: 'We're the only team that has gotten to play there. We have played in front of a big crowd there, too, which is useful. Just using that is going to help us.' — Cholowsky, on playing in the Big Ten Tournament at Charles Schwab Field last month. LSU (48-15) Coach: Jay Johnson (185-77 in 4 seasons at LSU; 502-249 in 13 seasons overall). Road to Omaha: Won Baton Rouge Regional: beat Little Rock 7-0, beat Dallas Baptist 12-0, lost to Little Rock 10-4, beat Little Rock 10-6. Won Baton Rouge Super Regional: beat West Virginia 16-9, beat West Virginia 12-5. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 2-1. Last CWS appearance: 2023. All-time record in CWS: 46-29 in 19 appearances (won national titles in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2009, 2023). Meet the Tigers: C Luis Hernandez (.272, 9 HRs, 30 RBIs), 1B Jared Jones (.328, 20, 70), 2B Daniel Dickinson (.312, 12, 48), SS Steven Milam (.290, 11, 55), 3B Michael Braswell III (.201, 2, 17) or Tanner Reaves (.266, 3, 12), LF Derek Curiel (.347, 7, 52), CF Chris Stanfield (.309, 1, 28), RF Josh Pearson (.297, 7, 32) or Jake Brown (.315, 8, 44), DH Ethan Frey (.340, 13, 49). Starting pitchers: LHP Kade Anderson (10-1, 3.58 ERA), RHP Anthony Eyanson (11-2, 2.74), RHP Jaden Noot (2-1, 4.26). Relievers: LHP DJ Primeaux (0-0, 3.86), RHP William Schmidt (7-0, 4.73), RHP Maverick Ritzy (0-0, 4.74), LHP Cooper Williams (0-1, 1.83), RHP Chase Shores (5-3, 5.24), RHP Casan Evans (4-1, 1.90), RHP Zac Cowan (3-3, 3.09), LHP Conner Ware (4-1, 5.48). MLB alumni: Joe Adcock, DJ LeMahieu, Aaron Hill, Albert Belle, Todd Walker, Ben McDonald, Alex Bregman, Brad Hawpe, Ryan Theriot, Russ Springer, Kevin Gausman, Jason Vargas, Warren Morris, Austin Nola, Paul Byrd, Aaron Nola, Mark Guthrie. Short hops: Tigers went 2-1 this season against Arkansas, their opening opponent. ... Tigers have second-highest all-time NCAA Tournament winning percentage (.708, 182-75). ... Anderson's 163 strikeouts are most among CWS pitchers and rank second nationally. Eyanson's 135 Ks rank third. ... Pitching staff is in top 10 nationally in ERA (3.80), hits allowed per nine innings (7.34) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.9). Quotable: 'Everyone just plays for each other. We know we're a team and if we don't get the job done, the guys behind us or the guy in front of us is going to protect us and get it done for us. Everyone genuinely cares about each other." — Eyanson. ___ Arkansas (48-13) Coach: Dave Van Horn (931-470 in 23 seasons at Arkansas; 1,516-710 in 38 seasons overall). Road to Omaha: Won Fayetteville Regional: beat North Dakota State 62, beat Creighton 12-1, beat Creighton 8-3. Won Fayetteville Super Regional: beat Tennessee 4-3, beat Tennessee 11-4. 2025 record vs. CWS teams: 1-2. Last CWS appearance: 2022. All-time record in CWS: 18-22 in 11 appearances. Meet the Razorbacks: C Ryder Helfrick (.320, 14 HRs, 36 RBIs), 1B Reese Robinett (.276, 2, 12), 2B Cam Kozeal (.346, 15, 62), SS Wehiwa Aloy (.348, 20, 64), 3B Brent Iredale (.289, 14, 56), LF Charles Davalan (.355, 14, 59), CF Justin Thomas Jr. (.278, 9, 35), RF Logan Maxwell (.360, 13, 35), DH Kuhio Aloy (.330, 13, 70). Starting pitchers: LHP Zach Root (8-5, 3.59 ERA), RHP Aiden Jimenez (4-1, 3.66), RHP Gage Wood (3-1, 5.02). Relievers: RHP Ben Bybee (3-0, 4.38), RHP Steele Eaves (1-0, 1.86), LHP Colin Fisher (3-0, 4.62), RHP Gabe Gaeckle (4-2, 4.76), LHP Parker Coil (3-0, 1.27), LHP Landon Beidelschies (4-0, 4.92), RHP Will McEntire (1-0, 2.59), RHP Dylan Carter (6-0, 2.18). MLB alumni: Kevin McReynolds, Eric Hinske, Jeff King, Andrew Benintendi, Les Lancaster, Tom Pagnozzi, Ryne Stanek, Blake Parker, Drew Smyly, Cliff Lee, Dallas Keuchel, Colin Poche, Jalen Beeks, Robert Person, Tim Lollar. Short hops: No. 3 Razorbacks are the highest remaining national seed. ... Wehiwa Aloy is the SEC player of the year. His first name means 'prized one' in Hawaiian. He leads the team with 20 homers and is among seven Arkansas players with double-digit homers. ... Hogs' 123 homers are program record and fifth in the country. ... Arkansas has had at least one player selected in each of the past 50 MLB drafts dating back to 1975.
