Assuming The Basketball Tournament gets played, Boeheim’s Army is putting together a loaded roster. Demetris Nichols is the latest addition.
Demetris Nichols, a former Syracuse basketball star who led the Big East Conference in scoring during his senior year on the Hill, has signed on for Boeheim’s Army, and the Orange-based crew which plays annually in The Basketball Tournament (“TBT”) is getting more potent with each line-up extension.
Nichols is a veteran of this $2 million, winner-take-all event, though he couldn’t suit up last summer due to an injury. Per a TBT tweet, Nichols competed for Boeheim’s Army in 2015 and 2018, averaging 15.3 points over eight encounters.
On Boeheim’s Army, Nichols joins combo guards Brandon Triche and Eric Devendorf, wing Malachi Richardson and power forward Tyler Lydon. The squad must have seven guys by June 15 to reach eligibility to play in the TBT, according to an article by Donna Ditota of Syracuse.com.
🚨Excited to announce that @NicholsDemetris will be playing with us again in @thetournament this summer! He’s a professional scorer and relentless competitor. Welcome back Demetris!https://t.co/9WipW8AIpi pic.twitter.com/CJRG11gASs
— Boeheim's Army (@BoeheimsArmy) May 5, 2020
At 6-foot-8, Nichols has terrific length and size. He could likely play off-guard, small forward or even power forward. Nichols is an excellent shooter and a reliable scoring option for a Boeheim’s Army unit that is definitely not lacking in offensive firepower.
Boeheim’s Army also possesses a strong mix of older and younger players, and guys with TBT experience, as well as newbies to the tournament.
Nichols and his colleagues fared well at the ‘Cuse in a variety of ways. Some garnered all-conference selections or made deep March Madness runs. Furthermore, guys have gone on to successful professional careers, including stints in the NBA and overseas.
A seasoned pro and spirited competitor with stellar confidence, Nichols has served as a college basketball analyst for the ACC Network and the MSG Network while healing up after having reconstructive ankle surgery, per Ditota.
Nichols’ Syracuse career spanned 2003 to 2007, and he ended up as a second-round pick in the NBA Draft. In the 2006-07 campaign, his senior stint, Nichols paced the Big East in scoring, at 18.9 points per game, while connecting on nearly 42 percent from beyond the arc.
Named to the All-Big East first unit in 2006-07, Nichols finished his tenure in Central New York at No. 35 on the Orange’s all-time scoring list, says orangehoops.org. He netted a four-stanza scoring average of 10.9 points per affair.
The TBT is scheduled to occur from late July through early August, and will feature match-ups at Onondaga Community College from July 31 to Aug. 2. To date, tournament officials are hopeful that they won’t have to cancel the event because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Should the TBT go on, Nichols and his Boeheim’s Army teammates have a tremendous shot of advancing far in the tourney. A ton of scoring is imperative in the TBT, and Boeheim’s Army sure has plenty of it.