Kansas State Women's basketball adds new chief of staff

Jun. 11—Kansas State's women's basketball program added a new face to its coaching staff Friday.

Mike Nicholson, who most recently was an assistant at Central Missouri, was named Jeff Mittie's chief of staff. Mittie said in a statement that Nicholson is "accomplished and well-respected."

Case in point: Nicholson won the Women's Basketball Coaches' Association assistant coach of the year award last season. Nicholson worked with guards at Central Missouri and helped develop five All-Americans during his tenure.

He also served as head coach Dave Slifer's lead recruiter and scout. In six seasons at Central Missouri (2014-21), Nicholson helped the Jennies to a 161-53 record, two Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) titles, two Division II Final Four appearances (including last year) and a national championship in 2018.

"Coach Nick is an outgoing, enthusiastic coach with a keen analytical mind and an intense passion for recruiting," Slifer said in a release. "I can't thank him enough for what he's done for our program at Central, and no one is more deserving of this opportunity. He's a basketball lifer."

Nicholson also coached at Missouri Western and UMKC. In two stints at Missouri Western that totaled 14 years, Nicholson helped the Griffon men's team win 228 games and earn five trips to the D-II NCAA Tournament.

In six seasons at UMKC, where he coached under Lee Hunt and Bob Sundvold, Nicholson helped the Roos set a school record for wins developed Tony Dumas into a first-round NBA draft pick. (The Dallas Mavericks selected Dumas with the 19th overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft.)

Nicholson played one season of college basketball at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln before transferring to Missouri to earn a business administration degree in 1990. He earned his master's in educational administration from Kansas City in 1994.