Coach Kevin Nickelberry is in his second season at the helm of the Hampton University men’s basketball program. In his first year at helm, he posted records of 15-16 overall and 10-8 in conference play as the Pirates finished the regular season in third place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Coach Nickelberry brings with him a proven track record that includes post-season appearances in each of his last three stops as an assistant.
“We were impressed with Coach Nickelberry's experience, enthusiasm, disciplined approach to the game of basketball and his commitment to academics for his players,” said HU President William R. Harvey about Coach Nickelberry. “Our feeling is that he can take us back to being one of the best mid-major programs in the country.”
During his press conference, Coach Nickelberry stressed the importance of building a “program” during the Pirates’ climb back into mid-major prominence. To become a mid-major power, he felt the elements of building a “program” had to encompass accountability and results in four areas: 1. Academics; 2. Recruiting/player development; 3. Facility upgrades; and 4. Community support.
In taking over a program that has lost scholarships due to the NCAA’s APR program, Coach Nickelberry’s accountability has guided the men’s team to its highest GPA in 10 years. Recruiting higher profile players and developing talent was very important to Coach Nickelberry as evidenced by two consecutive top 60 recruiting classes and the emergence of Rashad West as a potential Player of the Year candidate.
Through fundraising, Coach Nickelberry has upgraded the team’s locker room and has improved the common areas throughout the arena. He has also made a splash in the community with over 300 kids involved in his basketball camps and making his radio show, “The McDonald’s Basketball Show,” a weekly event. While some may be surprised by such a positive turnaround in such a short time, positively impacting a program almost immediately is nothing new to Coach Nickelberry.
The 42-year old Maryland native came to Hampton after working on Oliver Purnell’s basketball staff at Clemson University for three years. In his first year as Clemson’s recruiting coordinator, Coach Nickelberry helped Clemson recruit an impressive top 25 recruiting class. Nickelberry’s immediate impact at Clemson was not surprising, given that he was widely regarded as one of the top assistant coaches in the country. At his previous stop, he helped UNC-Charlotte achieve consecutive top 20 recruiting classes in both 2002 and 2003.
Basketball Times, The Hoop Scoop and Rivalshoops.com ranked Nickelberry as one of the top 20 assistant coaches in the country. “Kevin Nickelberry quietly has built himself into one of college basketball’s premiere recruiters,” said Mike DeCourcy, college basketball writer for the Sporting News. “Perhaps he’s been too quiet. His accomplishments in helping to identify and attract promising players haven’t gotten nearly the attention merited. Anyone who knows the game knows talent is the primary ingredient in building a winning program. Locating players who fit in a given program is not as easy as Kevin makes it look.”
While a lot has been made of Nickelberry’s ability to recruit, what has been equally as impressive is the development of players under his tutelage. As the post coach at Clemson, he had a big part in molding Sharod Ford into an All-ACC selection, while also aiding in the progression of Akin Akingbala, who went from averaging just over four points a game to 12 points and eight rebounds during his time working with Nickelberry.
Prior to joining Clemson, Nickelberry served two seasons as the top assistant at UNC-Charlotte in Conference USA. While at Charlotte, he helped to recruit and sign four impact players who have had outstanding college careers. These impact players were Eddie Basden, Martin Iti, Curtis Withers and Vincent Grier. Basden was named Conference USA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, while Withers was named to the Conference USA all-conference team in 2004 and 2005, named a third-team All–American by Basketball Times and played for USA Basketball in 2004. Iti was ESPN’s 2003 number one ranked high school center who made the Conference USA All-Rookie Team in 2004. Grier transferred to Minnesota, where he was named to the All-Big Ten Team and helped the Gophers make the NCAA tournament.
Nickelberry served two seasons at the College of Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, where he was the associate head coach. While at Holy Cross, he helped guide the Crusaders to a remarkable season, which included the best turnaround in school history, a NCAA tournament appearance and the Patriot League regular season and tournament championships. Nickelberry also helped recruit and develop two conference Rookie of the Year players, two conference Player of the Year awardees, three All-Rookie Team performers, four first team all-conference recipients and two second team all-conference players while there.
During his tenure at Monmouth University in New Jersey, Nickelberry helped land the Northeastern Conference Newcomer of the Year and its Players of the Year. He spent the previous three years as an assistant coach at Howard University, where he helped assemble teams that featured two MEAC Newcomer of the Year players and five players who earned all-rookie and/or all-league honors in their careers.
Nickelberry began his coaching career at NAIA Columbia Union College in Maryland, where he served as both assistant men’s basketball coach and head women’s basketball coach. In his only season with the men’s program, Columbia Union made its first ever appearance in the NAIA tournament.
Prior to beginning his coaching career, Nickelberry was involved in many successful entrepreneur ventures. He was the president of two public relations firms and founded an at-risk youth non-profit organization in the Washington, D.C. area. Nickelberry and his wife Mamie reside in Hampton with their sons, Kyan and Kelby.
