RADFORD, Va – Radford Athletics and all of Highlander nation bids a fond farewell to men's basketball head coach Darris Nichols for his passion and tireless work ethic to return Highlander basketball to the top of the Big South Conference for the past four years. Radford University Director of Athletics Robert Lineburg announced on Tuesday that Nichols will depart the Highlanders for a new opportunity in the field at La Salle University in Philadelphia.

Radford Athletics plans to move quickly and efficiently to hire the best head coach for Radford University.

"We appreciate Darris and his efforts over the past four years and wish him and his family nothing but the best of luck in his new opportunity," Lineburg said. "Darris is an outstanding coach and we anticipate he will have continued success leading the program at La Salle."

Nichols returned to his hometown of Radford to lead the Highlanders over the last four seasons. He posted a record of 68-63 (.519) overall, which included two 20-win campaigns. Over his four seasons, Nichols completely reintegrated Radford back into championship contenders in the Big South. His squad also made one post season appearance with a run to the College Basketball Invitational semifinals in 2022-23.

Nichols and his student-athletes loved nothing more than playing in front of the home crowd in the Dedmon Center, where he and his staff recorded a mark of 36-15 (.706) in contests played in the New River Valley. His time at the helm also included a Power Five win over West Virginia (Radford's first Power 5 victory in over five years) and two consecutive MTE Tournament championships at the 2023 Cancun Challenge and the 2024 Sunshine Slam.

The Highlanders are coming off a season fans won't soon forget as Radford got off to its best start to a campaign in 36 years and posted one of its best NET rankings in program history in 2024-25. Nichols and staff took a newly recruited roster and found themselves just a couple of plays away from advancing to the Big South Championship game this season.

Nichols, who averaged 15 wins a season in the New River City, finished his Radford career with the fourth-most wins in school history.

Radford Athletics and all of Highlander nation thanks Nichols for his service and wish him the best of luck in the future.
 
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