Post by rainman on Oct 13, 2007 6:52:02 GMT -5
New Role for Nichols
By Christopher Marshall for MSNsportsNET.com
October 11, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Simply put, the point guard on a Bob Huggins coached basketball team is more than just a playmaker. Visions of explosive scoring guards like Nick Van Exel and Steve Logan come to mind as the leaders of some of the great Huggins-coached Cincinnati teams of the past.
Perhaps fresher in the memory of most Mountaineer fans is the lightning-quick Devan Downey. As a true freshman at Cincinnati two years ago, the 5-9 point guard and former Huggins recruit lit the Mountaineers up for 16 points and 10 assists in a 78-75 Bearcat victory at Fifth Third Arena to close the regular season in Andy Kennedy’s one year as interim coach. A native of Chester, S.C., Downey has since transferred to South Carolina and after sitting out last season, is predicted to be one of the biggest impact transfers in the SEC this season.
As Huggins gets set to begin a new era at West Virginia, he will hand the keys over to senior point guard Darris Nichols in hopes that the Radford, Va., native can be a catalyst for success. Rest assured Nichols is just fine with that.
“I’m really excited because I actually get to play my game up and down,” Nichols said. “I will look for my shot more and I’ll be able to penetrate and get my teammates involved whenever I want when we need a big play. I think it should be a lot more fun.”
Huggins has explained that Nichols will have the latitude to make plays in his offense. To prepare for his new role, Nichols says he won’t change his game as much as he will work on little things to refine it.
“I’m really not going to change my game. (Huggins) already told me I am going to have a lot more freedom,” Nichols said. “I can show my decision making a lot more so I’m just concentrating on improvement in all aspects of my game.”
Nichols is anxious to perform for Huggins, a coach that has won 590 games and has averaged more than 23 wins a year for 25 seasons.
“He told me that he always wants the ball in my hands,” Nichols said. “That says a lot about how he feels about me. Given what kind of coach he is that has given me a lot of confidence.”
While some might assume that the transition from the structured type offense that Beilein ran to a more free-flowing style under Huggins would be a burden to adjust to in just one season, Nichols reminds everyone that this is the type of basketball he has played for most of his life.
“Coming out of high school my coach was more of a Bob Huggins type coach so that’s what I was used to coming into college,” Nichols said. “In Beilein’s system I had to kind of change my game a little bit.”
Nichols admits that Huggins’ defensive philosophy has brought about both a radical change and a tough adjustment. While Beilein’s defense featured a 1-3-1 zone and various help defenses, Huggins will settle for nothing less than tough, physical in-your-face man-to-man defense. The bumping and grabbing that West Virginia fans have routinely chastised Pitt for over the last few years will now become a staple of the men from Morgantown.
“The man-to-man defense is totally different. We have never played this much defense the whole time I was here. It’s pressure, in your face, man-to-man,” Nichols said. “There are a lot of things he has already taught us that I never knew and lots of guys never knew. Little things like how to stay in front of your man and how not to get beat off the dribble.”
Since Huggins was hired in April, much has been made of the emphasis on the weight room and getting stronger in the offseason. Nichols, who has added five pounds of muscle while reducing his percentage of body fat, says that some that has been blown out of proportion.
“I feel like it’s a little overblown. In the offseason under Beilein we worked out hard in the weight room, too,” Nichols said. “There’s just a bigger emphasis now on transferring it to the court. That’s how his teams play. It’s more physical and you need to get in the weight room.”
Nichols is already feeling the positive effects from his offseason work under Huggins’ strength staff.
“I feel a lot stronger and I actually feel quicker even though I put on weight. It’s all good weight so I feel great right now. I’m probably in the best shape I have ever been in,” Nichols said. “I have noticed with the lifting that my range has increased so I’ve just got to keep getting in the gym and getting extra shots.”
As Nichols looks ahead to the upcoming season, he sees his final year in Morgantown as a chance to prove that he and his teammates are legitimate big-time basketball players playing for a big-time coach in a big-time program. During the last few years, outsiders have tabbed the West Virginia players as unathletic and system players. Nichols relishes the chance to finally put that ill-conceived notion to rest.
“It kind of gets frustrating hearing how we are just Beilein type of players. Everyone on our team can play in almost any system. The way Beilein’s system is run it kind of takes away the player’s athleticism,” Nichols said. “It’s all structured. It’s not like you can just take over the game whenever you want or get in the lane or whatever. It’s all off plays. You can’t see athleticism as much in the system he ran so I really don’t pay attention when people say that.”
Nor does he, his teammates, or his new coach, pay much attention to preseason polls and magazine predictions, many of which have WVU tabbed to finish in the lower half of the BIG EAST this season.
“This year they have been picking us 10th and Coach Huggins doesn’t like that too well,” Nichols said. “Ever since I have been here they usually pick us last so they showed a little bit of respect but it’s not where we want to be.”
To get to where they want to be, the Mountaineers will need Darris Nichols to be a playmaker this season.
By Christopher Marshall for MSNsportsNET.com
October 11, 2007
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Simply put, the point guard on a Bob Huggins coached basketball team is more than just a playmaker. Visions of explosive scoring guards like Nick Van Exel and Steve Logan come to mind as the leaders of some of the great Huggins-coached Cincinnati teams of the past.
Perhaps fresher in the memory of most Mountaineer fans is the lightning-quick Devan Downey. As a true freshman at Cincinnati two years ago, the 5-9 point guard and former Huggins recruit lit the Mountaineers up for 16 points and 10 assists in a 78-75 Bearcat victory at Fifth Third Arena to close the regular season in Andy Kennedy’s one year as interim coach. A native of Chester, S.C., Downey has since transferred to South Carolina and after sitting out last season, is predicted to be one of the biggest impact transfers in the SEC this season.
As Huggins gets set to begin a new era at West Virginia, he will hand the keys over to senior point guard Darris Nichols in hopes that the Radford, Va., native can be a catalyst for success. Rest assured Nichols is just fine with that.
“I’m really excited because I actually get to play my game up and down,” Nichols said. “I will look for my shot more and I’ll be able to penetrate and get my teammates involved whenever I want when we need a big play. I think it should be a lot more fun.”
Huggins has explained that Nichols will have the latitude to make plays in his offense. To prepare for his new role, Nichols says he won’t change his game as much as he will work on little things to refine it.
“I’m really not going to change my game. (Huggins) already told me I am going to have a lot more freedom,” Nichols said. “I can show my decision making a lot more so I’m just concentrating on improvement in all aspects of my game.”
Nichols is anxious to perform for Huggins, a coach that has won 590 games and has averaged more than 23 wins a year for 25 seasons.
“He told me that he always wants the ball in my hands,” Nichols said. “That says a lot about how he feels about me. Given what kind of coach he is that has given me a lot of confidence.”
While some might assume that the transition from the structured type offense that Beilein ran to a more free-flowing style under Huggins would be a burden to adjust to in just one season, Nichols reminds everyone that this is the type of basketball he has played for most of his life.
“Coming out of high school my coach was more of a Bob Huggins type coach so that’s what I was used to coming into college,” Nichols said. “In Beilein’s system I had to kind of change my game a little bit.”
Nichols admits that Huggins’ defensive philosophy has brought about both a radical change and a tough adjustment. While Beilein’s defense featured a 1-3-1 zone and various help defenses, Huggins will settle for nothing less than tough, physical in-your-face man-to-man defense. The bumping and grabbing that West Virginia fans have routinely chastised Pitt for over the last few years will now become a staple of the men from Morgantown.
“The man-to-man defense is totally different. We have never played this much defense the whole time I was here. It’s pressure, in your face, man-to-man,” Nichols said. “There are a lot of things he has already taught us that I never knew and lots of guys never knew. Little things like how to stay in front of your man and how not to get beat off the dribble.”
Since Huggins was hired in April, much has been made of the emphasis on the weight room and getting stronger in the offseason. Nichols, who has added five pounds of muscle while reducing his percentage of body fat, says that some that has been blown out of proportion.
“I feel like it’s a little overblown. In the offseason under Beilein we worked out hard in the weight room, too,” Nichols said. “There’s just a bigger emphasis now on transferring it to the court. That’s how his teams play. It’s more physical and you need to get in the weight room.”
Nichols is already feeling the positive effects from his offseason work under Huggins’ strength staff.
“I feel a lot stronger and I actually feel quicker even though I put on weight. It’s all good weight so I feel great right now. I’m probably in the best shape I have ever been in,” Nichols said. “I have noticed with the lifting that my range has increased so I’ve just got to keep getting in the gym and getting extra shots.”
As Nichols looks ahead to the upcoming season, he sees his final year in Morgantown as a chance to prove that he and his teammates are legitimate big-time basketball players playing for a big-time coach in a big-time program. During the last few years, outsiders have tabbed the West Virginia players as unathletic and system players. Nichols relishes the chance to finally put that ill-conceived notion to rest.
“It kind of gets frustrating hearing how we are just Beilein type of players. Everyone on our team can play in almost any system. The way Beilein’s system is run it kind of takes away the player’s athleticism,” Nichols said. “It’s all structured. It’s not like you can just take over the game whenever you want or get in the lane or whatever. It’s all off plays. You can’t see athleticism as much in the system he ran so I really don’t pay attention when people say that.”
Nor does he, his teammates, or his new coach, pay much attention to preseason polls and magazine predictions, many of which have WVU tabbed to finish in the lower half of the BIG EAST this season.
“This year they have been picking us 10th and Coach Huggins doesn’t like that too well,” Nichols said. “Ever since I have been here they usually pick us last so they showed a little bit of respect but it’s not where we want to be.”
To get to where they want to be, the Mountaineers will need Darris Nichols to be a playmaker this season.
