Bio

Dr. Dan Nichols begins his 19th season as the men’s basketball head coach at South Mountain Community College in the 2024-25 academic year. A longtime staple in the Phoenix basketball scene, Nichols has led the Cougars to outstanding performances on the court and in the classroom.

Nichols has been the coach of the Cougars several times since 2001. His first stop ran from 2001-2009 and, after leaving to coach Grand Canyon University during the 2008-09 season, continued from 2010-14. He then returned to the SMCC sidelines in 2017.

In his tenure, SMCC has claimed three ACCAC Division II championships, three NJCAA Region championships and an ACCAC postseason title. He has coached seven NJCAA All-Americans and has been named ACC Coach of the Year twice (2008, 2011) and NJCAA District I Coach of the Year three times (2005, 2008, 2012).

On the national stage, Nichols led the Cougars to a seventh-place finish at the 2007 NJCAA National Tournament and the Elite 8 at the 2012 NJCAA Tournament. The team also sat atop of the NJCAA Division II national rankings during the 2010-11 season.  

Nichols has also helped numerous SMCC student-athletes move on to four-year universities across the country.

During the 2008-09 season, Nichols stepped away from South Mountain Community College to serve as the head coach of Grand Canyon University. He guided the Antelopes to a 13-14 overall record.

Nichols also served as an Associate Athletic Director at GCU from 2009-17, helping steer the university through the NCAA reclassification process as it moved to NCAA Division I athletics. The Antelopes also won the Learfield Cup twice (2012, 2013) during Nichols’ time at the school. He now serves as the Director of Club Sports at the university.

Nichols worked for a year as an assistant coach at California Baptist University in Riverside, Calif., during the 1999-00 season.

Serving as the head coach at Maryvale and Central High Schools from 1995-2001, Nichols steered his teams to three regional playoff appearances and one Arizona state tournament qualification.

Nichols was a physical education teacher at Isaac Junior High School from 1985-95. He also owned Doc’s Gym Inc. from 1988-2000.

Nichols received his Associates Degree in Business Administration from Scottsdale Community College, his Bachelor’s from Arizona State in Physical Education, his Master’s in Counseling and Human Relations from Northern Arizona and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study from Ottawa University in Professional Counseling. Nichols recieved his Doctorate in Education in Performance Psychology from Grand Canyon University in 2022.