Chester Nichols

Biography

Chester Nichols completed his third season at Southern Illinois in 2024-25. Nichols joined Kelly Bond-White’s staff in April of 2022 as the associate head coach of the Salukis. Nichols came to Carbondale with a wealth of experience, including stints at West Virginia (2014-19 & 2003-09), Michigan (2012-14), and Kansas (2010-12). He was the associate head coach at West Virginia during his second stint there, and was most recently an assistant coach at Wichita State for three seasons. "We are extremely blessed to welcome Chester into our Saluki family," Bond-White said. "I've known Coach Nichols for over 20 years. Chester is a consistent winner; his preparation in the development of players and game-planning have been key to helping his teams reach their pinnacle. Chester brings an infectious energy and authenticity to draw people to him. It's this nature that has allowed him to build an unrivaled mental rolodex with lasting relationships." A native of Ocala, Florida, Nichols is widely considered one of the nation's top recruiters, and he played an instrumental role in bringing five top-20 recruiting classes to WVU. He was responsible for signing Kysre Gondrezick, who became the fourth overall pick (Indiana Fever) in the WNBA Draft, the highest WNBA Draft pick in program history. West Virginia saw great success during both of Nichols' tenures with the program. Overall, the Mountaineers made five NCAA tournaments and five WNIT appearances, and won at least 21 games in nine season