Catching Up With Transfer Austin Nichols

Nichols, pictured here next to Tony Bennett at the 2015 Blue White game.  Photo courtesy of Matt Riley of VirginiaSports.com.
Nichols, pictured here next to Tony Bennett at the 2015 Blue White game. Photo courtesy of Matt Riley of VirginiaSports.com.

He came close, but UVa head coach Tony Bennett couldn’t reel in consensus 5-star Austin Nichols out of high school. Nichols was so impressed by the way Coach Bennett and company recruited him, though, that when he decided to transfer from the University of Memphis after two years, Virginia was at the very top of his list.

Nichols, a 6’9”, 232-pound power forward, attended Briarcrest Christian School (Eads, TN), where he was named the 2012/2013 Gatorade Player of the Year. He averaged 22.7 points, 12.2 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game his senior year before moving on to Memphis, where as a freshman he averaged almost 10 points per game and earned American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year honors. As a sophomore he led the Tigers in scoring (13.3 points per game) and blocked shots (3.4 blocks per game), earning first-team all-AAC honors.

Nichols decided to transfer from Memphis this past July. He took only one official visit – to UVa – before making his commitment. He’ll red-shirt the 2015/2016 season but will be counted upon to play a major role for the Hoos in 2016/2017, as Virginia will lose center Mike Tobey and power forward Anthony Gill after this season.

At UVa’s Media Day on October 21, Nichols discussed several topics, including…

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