Colonels basketball overcoming rough non-conference slates

These Colonels have come a long, long way
November 21, 2018
Colonels mop up All-Southland teams
November 21, 2018
These Colonels have come a long, long way
November 21, 2018
Colonels mop up All-Southland teams
November 21, 2018

Nicholls football is getting all the headlines and the love right now — and rightfully so.

But we don’t want to forget that basketball season is here and both the Nicholls men and women are trying to make their marks in non-conference play.

Both teams are competing against brutal schedules which they hope will allow them to compete favorably in the Southland Conference when play begins later this winter.


The Colonels’ men played Ole Miss last night with no score available at press-time on Monday. They return to the floor Friday against North Carolina Central for the Emerald Coast Classic.

The Nicholls women will take the floor at the UTEP Thanksgiving Classic in El Paso over the weekend.

NICHOLLS MEN SHOWING FIREPOWER


Nicholls lost a ton of its firepower from last season, but in the early stages of the 2018-19 season, the Colonels are showcasing the same ability to score the ball.

Nicholls is 2-3 at press-time and they’ve scored 70 or more points in four of their past 5 games.

The Colonels kicked off the season with an easy win over Mississippi College, but have since looked impressive on the road against top-flight programs.


The Colonels lost just 85-72 against annual powerhouse Louisville — a game that Nicholls competed favorably in from start-to-finish. The Colonels also lost 89-72 against Washington State from the PAC 12, before beating Idaho 83-80 last week.

First-year coach Austin Claunch said he likes the depth that his team has displayed in the early stages of the season. Nicholls played 10 guys against the Vandals, led by Jeremiah Jefferson, who scored 26 points on just 16 shot attempts.

“We had a lot of guy make some big time plays down the stretch,” Claunch said. “I just told them — guts — that’s the only way you can really say it. Gavin Peppers stepped up and made some big-time free throws down the stretch and Jeremiah Jefferson was special the whole game. It was just an unbelievable road win for these guys and they earned it.”


But the Colonels struggled to build on the effort.

The biggest setback of Nicholls’ young season came the game after the Idaho victory — an 81-54 trouncing at Baylor in which Nicholls shot just 32 percent from the field and 15 percent from behind the 3-point line in 26 attempts.

Like last year, Nicholls has experience with four seniors on the roster. But the Colonels also have several underclassmen this winter — something they haven’t had in years past as Claunch tries to build the program.


WOMEN TRYING TO FIND FOOTING

Defending a Southland Conference Championship hasn’t been easy so far for the Nicholls State University women’s basketball team.

But it’s not time to panic just yet.


The Colonels have lots of time to steady the ship and sail toward calmer, more prosperous waters.

Nicholls started its Southland Conference title defense 0-3, losing to Power 5 opponents Baylor and Auburn, before falling to Texas State 72-67 on Friday.

It will come as little surprise to those who follow the program, but senior guard Cassidy Barrios has been dynamite so far this season for Nicholls, averaging 21.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor, 40 percent from the 3-point line and 95 percent from the charity stripe.


But the Colonels need to give Barrios some help. The rest of Nicholls team averages just 33.3 points per game, which has allowed opponents to stymie the Colonels’ offensive attack. Nicholls is shooting just 35 percent from the field in early-season play with 61 turnovers compared to just 35 assists.

But help should be on the way.

The Colonels have not yet played Tykeria Williams this season — a huge blow to Nicholls’ chances. Williams averaged 13.2 points per game last season and was a member of the Preseason All-Southland Conference team. Getting her back should help solve a lot of the Colonels’ offensive woes.


VAN VARK RESIGNS AT NICHOLLS

Jay Van Vark’s reign as the Nicholls volleyball coach will not last into a second season.

The first-year coach resigned this week after the completion of a 3-26 season in which the Colonels finished last in the Southland Conference standings. 


Van Vark’s tenure with the team never got on firm footing. 

On the floor, the Colonels battled youth and struggled mightily to compete against some of the powerful teams in the Southland.

But the fit between the first-year coach and the program never seemed ideal. Van Vark was placed on administrative leave weeks before the end of the season and his resignation was announced just days after his first campaign came to a close.


Nicholls Athletic Director Matt Roan said the search to find a new volleyball coach will begin right away. It is likely that the AD will have hopes of bringing in an energetic, passionate coach who can help dig the Colonels out of the doldrums and push the team to prominence. 

“We will commence a search right away with the goal of bringing the best coach possible to Nicholls to successfully lead our program into the future,” Roan said.

Nicholls basketball


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