Austin Nichols (basketball)

Robert Austin Nichols (born September 20, 1994) is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the University of Memphis and the University of Virginia.

Austin Nichols
Free agent
PositionPower forward
Personal information
Born (1994-09-20) September 20, 1994
Memphis, Tennessee
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
High schoolBriarcrest Christian School
(Eads, Tennessee)
College
NBA draft2017: undrafted
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2018Memphis Hustle
Career highlights and awards

Early years

Nichols attended Briarcrest Christian School in Eads, Tennessee. While there, he was a four-time letterwinner and helped lead his team to the state championship game.[1] Nichols averaged 22.7 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocked shots his senior season en route to being named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Tennessee. On November 5, 2012, Nichols committed to the University of Memphis. He had also received offers from Duke, Virginia, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee.[2]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Austin Nichols
PF		 Eads, Tennessee Briarcrest High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Nov 5, 2012 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 36   Rivals: 17  247Sports: 22  ESPN: 15
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Memphis 2013 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  • "2013 Memphis Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
  • "2013 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2015-10-24.

College career

Memphis

Nichols started in all 34 of the Tigers' games his freshman year. It was the first time a Memphis freshman had done so since Darius Washington, Jr. during the 2004-05 season.[3] Nichols was named AAC Rookie of the Year at the end of the season.

During his sophomore year, Nichols would be limited to just 27 games because of several ankle injuries.[4] Despite the injuries, he led the Tigers in scoring (13.3 PPG), was second on the team in rebounds (6.1 RPG), and third in the country in blocked shots (3.4 BPG).[5] At the conclusion of the season, it was announced that Nichols had earned a spot on the All-AAC First Team, becoming the first Tigers player to do so since the reorganization of the American.

The summer following his sophomore season, Nichols requested to be released from his scholarship.[6] The Memphis staff initially refused to let Nichols leave, but eventually granted him a conditional release. The conditions would apply if Nichols transfers to the University of Tennessee, any school in the American Athletic Conference, and any out-of-conference schools that play Memphis during the 2015–16 and 2016-17 seasons.[7] Transferring to one of these schools meant that he would have to pay for his redshirt season before becoming scholarship eligible again once reinstated. The Nichols family hired a lawyer to petition for an unconditional release, and on July 14, 2015, Memphis removed all conditions from Nichols' release.[8]

Virginia

On July 28, 2015, Nichols announced that he was transferring to the University of Virginia.[9] He had also received interest from Notre Dame and Marquette. After sitting out the 2015-16 season as a redshirt, Nichols was scheduled to have two years of eligibility remaining once reinstated.

After being suspended for the opener, Nichols appeared in one game. He was then dismissed from the team on November 18, 2016.[10]

College statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013–14 Memphis 343422.8.589.000.5364.30.50.41.29.3
2014–15 Memphis 272629.5.497.222.6076.11.00.83.413.3
2016–17 Virginia 1016.0.571.0001.0003.00.00.00.011.0

Personal life

Austin's parents are Mark and Kim Nichols. He has a twin sister named Ashley and an older sister Natalie. Nichols was majoring in drama.

References
  1. "Virginia Bio". virginiasports.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  2. Borzello, Jeff (November 5, 2012). "Austin Nichols surprisingly chooses Memphis over Tennessee". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  3. "Memphis Bio". University of Memphis Athletics. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  4. Butt, Jason (March 1, 2015). "Memphis F Austin Nichols (ankle) could be out for rest of season". CBS Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  5. Teel, David (July 15, 2015). "Austin Nichols free to transfer to U.Va., thanks to influential lawyer". Daily Press. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  6. Goodman, Jeff (July 7, 2015). "Memphis forward Austin Nichols says he intends to transfer". ESPN. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  7. Goodman, Jeff (July 9, 2015). "Notre Dame, Marquette in hunt for transfer Austin Nichols, sources say". ESPN. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  8. Gartland, Dan (July 14, 2015). "Memphis removes conditions from Austin Nichols's release". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  9. "Austin Nichols transferring to Virginia". ESPN. July 28, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
  10. "Nichols Dismissed From UVA Men's Basketball Program". virginiasports.com. Archived from the original on 3 December 2017. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
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