As he has every summer since he started playing basketball, Austin Nichols went into last summer looking to improve. The 6-foot-9, 228-pound forward gained 16 pounds last offseason knowing he needed to get stronger to be the type of player he needed to be.
“This past summer I focused on getting physically stronger,” Nichols said. “And just getting better mentally. I have a mindfulness coach, Greg Graber, he has helped me since day one. He has been the reason I am so focused during the games.”
The University of Memphis men’s basketball team suffered their worst season in 15 years. It was a season full of losses, disappointing play and waning fan support. But through it all Nichols established himself as a star, a consistent force and gave fans an inkling of hope that this season was going to turn out okay.
As a consensus top-10 recruit coming out of Briarcrest Christian High School, Nichols was a hot commodity. He was being recruited by Duke University, University of Virginia, Auburn University and University of Tennessee-Knoxville when he committed to coach Josh Pastner and the University of Memphis in 2012.
He was touted as the best recruit Pastner had gotten in his tenure at Memphis, and he showed his versatility in his first season. He averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and won the American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year Award. He was a big part of the Tigers NCAA Tourney berth. The team won Pastner’s second NCAA tournament game, but ultimately fell to the University of Virginia in the third round of the tournament last season.
After a flurry of offseason moves the Tigers were not ranked coming into the season for the first time under Pastner since his first season in charge in 2010. The senior laden team was replaced with first year players that hadn’t been battled tested quite like the four senior guards from last year.
“I knew that we had lost five seniors from last season,” Nichols said. “I knew that we were going to be a completely different team with the guys we picked up. Trahson (Burrell), Avery (Woodson), Pookie (Powell) was going to be able to play, Markel (Crawford) was able to play so I knew we needed some time to gel and get the team together.”
While the team was struggling, Nichols was putting together a fantastic season in his own right. He averaged 13.3 points per game, 6.1 rebounds per game and 3.4 blocks per game. Each stat was a career high. He was on his way to breaking former Tiger David Vaughn’s record for 107 blocks in one season.
“When it comes to shot blocking it’s all about timing,” Nichols said. “If you have confidence the sky is the limit for shot blocking.”
Then disaster struck for the Tigers and Nichols. The talented forward re-injured his ankle in a game against Tulsa. He had already injured his right ankle in a home game against Temple earlier in the season. The injury knocked Nichols out for the final two games and the conference tournament.
“It’s definitely frustrating. I had it taped and braced the second time,” Nichols said. “It was just the way I fell. It is what it is. It just happened, but you can’t really do anything about it.”
The Blue and Gray ended the season 18-14 with no postseason bid to either postseason tournament. It was the first time in 15 years the Tigers had not received a berth in either the NCAA or NIT tournament.
“I never lost confidence in us one bit,” Nichols said. “I knew the talent we were coming in with. It was sort of like a rebuilding year in the fact that we lost five seniors and had so many new guys.”
A year after the Tigers struggled with chemistry Pastner’s squad was able to turn everything around. Throughout the poor play and several disciplinary actions of Pastner, the team was able to stay close together. The blending of new players and dismissal of Kuran Iverson did not rock the boat.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been part of a team, especially in college, that I’ve been this close with,” Nichols said. “Coach says it all the time ‘go to battle with your brothers and we’re brothers. Our chemistry is so tight. I would call this a great chemistry team.”
The poor season led to waning fan support and calls for Pastner’s head. Former coach John Calipari’s success built up fan expectations so the consistent losing was a disappointment to fans. It led to an emptier FedEx Forum, full message boards and calls for changes.
“I kind of understand the fan’s frustration because last year we were ranked most of the season and had the four senior guards and they were good guards for us,” Nichols said. “I think they brought a lot of the fans to the games and everything. You know it’s not really disappointing at all. I appreciate all the fans that do come out, but we have to take care of business on the court. We can’t be worrying about who comes to the games and everything.”
Pastner is now looking towards next season. The addition of the Lawson brothers out of Hamilton High School, and the returning players having gained experience has raised expectations. Since Austin Nichols has improved every summer, there is a sense among the team that he will come back better than ever next year.
“Look at his improvement from last year to this year,” Pastner said in a press conference. “For next year he knows he has to be good from start to finish. If he does that I believe he’ll be an All-American. If we had finished first in second in the Conference he would have received the AAC Conference Player of the Year Award.”
Nichols improvement and the Tigers struggles have made some wonder if the call of the NBA or another team is going to sway the sophomore forward. The Tigers are bringing in a good recruiting class and will need Nichols so they can reach their potential.
“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet,” Nichols said. “As of right now I’m definitely coming back.”
