NSU names captains, coaches

Small size … Big heart: Cheramie making plays for SL defense
October 22, 2013
Saints ready to get back on the field after bye week
October 22, 2013
Small size … Big heart: Cheramie making plays for SL defense
October 22, 2013
Saints ready to get back on the field after bye week
October 22, 2013

A pair of veteran leaders will anchor the Nicholls State men’s basketball team into the 2013-14 season.

Colonels coach J.P. Piper announced this week that fifth-year seniors Jeremy Smith and Pedro Maciel will be Nicholls’ captains for the upcoming season.


Both players were key cogs in the Colonels’ 2012-13 squad, which pushed itself into the Southland Conference Tournament for the fifth-straight season.

“Being named captain by your peers is a tremendous honor and one that I know Jeremy and Pedro will accept with open arms,” Piper said. “These two young men are ready for the responsibility that comes with this type of honor, and will do a great job leading the players into the upcoming season.”

Both of Nicholls’ captains have endured adversity to land at their position.


Smith walked onto the Colonels’ program in 2009 after a decorated career at John Ehret High School.

While most walk-ons struggle to ever make a mark, Smith’s hard work earned him a place in the team’s rotation during his true freshman season.

After a redshirt season in 2010-11, Smith earned a scholarship in the next season – a year that saw the New Orleans native earn a place in Nicholls’ starting lineup.


Smith was also a team captain last season, starting 13 of the Colonels’ 27 games and averaging 7.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. He was second on the Colonels’ team with a 51.3 percent field goal percentage.

While Smith started from the bottom and earned his way as a captain through hard work and dedication, Maciel lands at the post after overcoming injury.

Maciel landed in Thibodaux before the 2011-12 campaign after beginning his collegiate career with Centenary and then transferring to Pearl River Community College.


But Maciel never played during that first season, earning a medical redshirt after suffering from a litany of injuries.

He returned this past season and played 26 games, averaging 1.8 points and 1.2 assists per game as the team’s primary backup point guard.

A Sao Paulo, Brazil native, Maciel is likely to serve a similar role this season, as Nicholls gets itself ready to begin the upcoming season.


Nicholls will open its season on Nov. 8 against Auburn.

PIPER FINALIZES COACHING STAFF

While Smith and Maciel prepare themselves for their captaincy, Piper was busy finalizing his coaching staff for his 10th year as the Colonels coach.


Piper announced this week that he has hired Darren Kohne and Liam Tribe-Simmons to fill out the final two places on his bench for the upcoming season.

The Colonels’ coach said he is excited to have each man on board.

“With bringing on Darren and Liam to the team this season, I believe we have a solid group of coaches that will be able to work well with each other and get the best out of our players,” Piper said. “Both bring a great wealth of knowledge and desire to their game.”


Kohne lands at Nicholls after more than a dozen years experience in the profession – some of which have been spent at the professional level.

Kohne was the top assistant coach last season for the Sioux Falls Skyforce – the NBA Developmental League’s affiliate for the NBA Champion Miami Heat.

During his time with the Skyforce, Kohne had a hand in the team’s turnaround, which saw Sioux Falls win 10 more games than it had done in the previous season.


While in the NBA D-League, the coach had a hand in developing 11 former or current NBA players, including reigning D-League MVP Andrew Goudelock.

Before coaching at the professional level, Kohne was an assistant for Central Michigan for six seasons, a time that saw the program land four recruiting classes that were ranked No. 1 for the entire Mid-American Conference.

Kohne has coached against the Colonels before as a three-year assistant coach at Stephen F. Austin in the early 2000s.


Throughout any of the longtime assistant coach’s stops, one thing has been a constant: successful players.

Kohne has coached more than 40 players over his career who have advanced past the college level and have gone on to play professional ball either in America or in countries overseas.

While Kohne lands with a wealth of collegiate experience, Tribe-Simmons lands in Thibodaux after a three-year run at the high school level at Northwest Christian School in Phoenix.


While with NCS last season, Tribe-Simmons led the program to a 17-12 record and a spot in the second round of the Arizona state playoffs.

A native of Australia, Tribe-Simmons was a three-year player at San Diego Christian College, where he was a part of a NCCAA National Championship team.

The assistant coaches join Rennie Bailey, who is returning for another year with the Colonels’ program.


Last year’s assistant coaches Terry Parker and Mike Czepil are no longer with the program.

Jeremy Smith