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July 12, 2017
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Going into last season, Nicholls State University men’s basketball coach Richie Riley said he knew the Colonels needed everything to go their way to have a winning season.
That didn’t happen – not even close.
The Colonels battled injuries, roster attrition and a tough schedule in 2016-17 – Riley’s first season with the program.
As a result, the Colonels struggled, scratching out a 14-17 record – missing the Southland Conference Tournament by just one game.
But with a full offseason to retool the Colonels roster, Riley said he believes the days of struggling to make the Southland Tournament are over.
He hopes the Colonels are now in a position to soar.
Expectations are high for the Colonels in year two under Riley – the youthful, energetic coach Nicholls plucked away from Clemson.
Riley said his first season with the team was humbling, but added that the team has worked hard throughout the summer – something the coach believes will pay off big when basketball resumes in late-fall.
The Colonels will tour the Bahamas in the coming weeks, which will give the team some on-court burn and added practice time.
“Our offseason has been really good,” Riley said. “We’ve got the majority of our guys here for summer school and they’re working hard to get better. Going to the Bahamas will be great for our team. We look forward to the work. Almost all our guys will be there with us. We have some guys finishing their academic requirements, but we will be almost all the way together, and we’re looking forward to continuing to get better.”
The Colonels will have a lot of new faces playing major roles in 2017-18.
Nicholls graduated five seniors off last year’s team, including athletic wing Ja’Dante’ Frye and post players Liam Thomas and Adam Ward – all guys who played major roles last season.
But the Colonels have some aces in the hole, as well.
In Riley’s inaugural signing class, the Colonels inked guards Roddy Peters and Tevon Saddler – two players who sat out last season per NCAA transfer rules.
Riley said both players will be given the opportunity to shine in 2017-18.
Peters is a 6-foot, 4-inch combo guard with lots of college experience. A former five-star Blue Chip prospect out of high school, Riley said he’s one of the best collegiate guards he’s ever coached – a guy who Riley said has a chance to take the Southland Conference by storm.
“He has great size for a point guard. You don’t see that a lot at this level of college basketball,” Riley said of Peters. “He has great basketball IQ and a great ability to pass the basketball. He’s really good. He’s really changed the game for our team.”
Saddler is touted, too.
He started his career at UNC-Greensboro and was one of the better players in his conference. As a freshman, Saddler averaged 12.5 points per game – enough to earn Southern Conference Freshman of the year.
A year later, he upped that average to 13.4 points per game, while accumulating a team-high 123 assists.
Riley said he expects Saddler to have a similar impact with the Colonels.
He said during his sit-out year, Saddler has established himself as one of the leaders in the locker room – the type of player who sets the tone with relentless work ethic.
“We love his versatility,” Riley said. “He can play the one for us or even the four if we go small. What we love about Tevon is he’s probably the hardest working kid I’ve ever had. He can be a big-time difference maker if he keep going on the path he is now.”
But while Saddler and Peters get a lot of the headlines, Riley said what he may be most excited about is the depth the team has accumulated in the offseason.
Riley inherited a depleted roster – one which was made even thinner when the team got shredded by injuries to multiple players.
“Some practices we had just seven guys,” Riley said. “I was sending in assistant coaches and telling them to do the best that they can out there so that we could get some 4-on-4 work.”
But throughout the past season, Riley said he and his coaching staff hit the recruiting trail hard and hauled in a solid recruiting class – one which can make the depth issues a thing of the past.
Riley said he’s excited about transfer post players Legend Robertin and Jeremy Verhagen – guys who will be able to help offset the loss of Thomas, who was the Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
Riley also touted high school signee Ryghe Lyons as a guy who can make an impact right away at the next level.
“I’m proud of that,” Riley said. “That is one of the things that I’m maybe most proud of. We’ve added depth – quality depth. We’ve added guys who can compete at this level. We needed that to be able to weather some unexpected things that happen throughout the season. It’s basketball. Guys get hurt. We will never have 100 percent health all year. Having those bodies will better equip us for going through that grind and playing at a high level.
“What frustrated us last year was there were games where we thought we played at a pretty high level but still lost because we just gassed out. We don’t want that to happen anymore.”
RILEY GIVES GLIMPSE INTO SCHEDULE
Riley said the Colonels will have fewer “money games” in 2017-18 than in years past.
The Colonels will travel to the Northeast to take on Villanova – the highest profile game the team will play next season.
Riley said Nicholls sill also make a trip to Seattle to play in Key Arena, while also playing a road date with upstart program Western Kentucky.
In-state, Nicholls will travel at Tulane, while hosting UL-Lafayette in a game Riley said he’s already excited about playing.
“To get them to come to our place is exciting,” Riley said. “It should be a good turnout. Our fanbase will be excited about hosting the here. Look, I like our schedule. There’s not as many high majors on there as before. I know we have to raise a certain amount of money for our program, but we’ve been creative in how we’ve been able to do that and it’s allowed us to create a schedule that will be more navigable for our team.”
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