Nicholls basketball scores huge commitment list

Nicholls State University men’s basketball coach Richie Riley sat in the locker room last season with a helpless feeling in the pit of his stomach.

The Colonels lost the game on that night, which was obviously disappointing for the coach, who said he’s one of the most competitive people he knows.

But as players filed out of the locker room on this night, Riley said he also was proud. The Colonels lost, yes. But the team gave everything it had on this night and it wasn’t enough.

“We played as hard as we could,” Riley said. “The guys gave me every, single thing that we had. It just wasn’t enough. As a coach, that’s not a good feeling. That’s not something I ever wanted to get used to experiencing.”

Riley said that feeling motivated both he and his staff throughout last season and into the offseason. When looking at how Nicholls’ roster has shaped up, it’s likely that the days of simply being the short-handed, inferiorly talented team are in the past.

The Colonels officially announced their recruiting class this past week – nine new additions which will significantly change how the team’s roster looks for the 2017-18 season.

Six players come via underclassman transfers and/or graduate transfers. Three others are high school signees – all from Louisiana and two from Thibodaux.

The incoming players will join 2016 transfers Roddy Peters and Tevon Saddler to round out a roster which Riley said will be better built to challenge for the Southland Conference Title in the next season.

“We are extremely excited about our 2017 recruiting class,” Riley said. “We were able to improve our team by adding size, skill and depth. It was important for us to add a mixture of experienced guys, as well as some younger players to be the foundation of the program. This class features student-athletes who will represent our program the right way – both on and off the court.”

The Colonels needed to get bigger this offseason – especially after losing Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year Liam Thomas to graduation.

Nicholls did exactly that via the transfer route.

Riley and his staff inked several post payers in their recruiting efforts, building depth at the power forward and center positions.

Leading the class are post players Daniel Regis (6-foot-7, 235 pounds), Legend Robertin (7-foot-1, 280 pounds) and Jeremy Verhagen (6-foot-10, 230 pounds) – all guys who land in Thibodaux with collegiate experience.

Robertin and Verhagen are seniors with just one season to play in Thibodaux. Regis will land at Nicholls as a junior after playing two seasons of junior college basketball at Gilette College, averaging 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game last season.

Riley said none of the incoming players will be able to equal Thomas’ impact alone.

But collectively, each player has a specific skill, which Riley said will help the Colonels negate the blow.

Nicholls also got high school signee Ryghe Lyons – a 6-foot-10 post from John Curtis.

“Liam was such a skilled player,” Riley said. “It’s funny. I’m looking at his Defensive Player of the Year trophy and everyone talks about the blocked shots and all the great things he did in the paint to protect the rim for us. But a lot of people I think don’t realize just how good Liam was offensively. He is such a skilled passer. We did a lot of things with him and we could utilize him all over the floor. I don’t think it’s wise for us to think that any of our recruits will do the things that he did on their own. I think as a coaching staff, we have to put guys in positions where they’re most able to be successful.”

Nicholls also got some local flare in their incoming class.

Riley signed E.D. White guard Kevin Johnson, while also granting a walk-on roster spot to fellow Cardinal Rafe Blades.

During the team’s offseason tour in the Bahamas, both Johnson and Blades got playing time – each recording basket in Colonels victories.

Riley said he likes the talent in the Houma-Thibodaux area, adding that it’s always his coaching staff’s preference to recruit the area first when it’s feasible.

In the next recruiting class, Nicholls has already received a verbal commitment from H.L. Bourgeois guard A.J. Rainey – one of the top local seniors.

“We want to secure players from Houma-Thibodaux area and the surrounding areas,” Riley said this offseason. “That’s good for our program and that’s something we want to continue to tap into. We’ve gotten a few of those guys on board and I think we’re going to be looking at some others who are still finishing up their high school basketball in the coming years.”

The goal, Riley said, is to assemble the right mix of high school seniors and transfers so that the Colonels have enough depth to win the Southland – a conference that becomes more and more competitive each year.

Last season – Riley’s first in Thibodaux – Nicholls didn’t make the conference tournament. That, the coach said, is simply not good enough for the future.

“We weren’t deep enough last year,” Riley said. “This year, I think we’ve built ourselves up and we’ll be better equipped to handle the grind.”

Richie Riley

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