Tevon Saddler named Nicholls Men’s Basketball Head Coach

THIBODAUX, La. – Nicholls State University Director of Athletics Jonathan Terrell announced Thursday the hiring of Tevon Saddler as the head men’s basketball coach. The hiring is pending approval from the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.

“We’re ecstatic to welcome back Tevon Saddler to lead our men’s basketball program,” Terrell said. “The energy and excitement he’ll bring to the program will keep Nicholls in the championship conversation. We are confident that he will have an extraordinary impact on our team, university, and community.”

Saddler, an All-Southland performer for the Colonels and former staff member, returns to Thibodaux after spending one year at the University of Maryland as director of player personnel. The 28-year-old is the 13th head coach in the Colonel program history.

“First and foremost, I want to thank God. I am extremely blessed and honored to be welcomed back home with open arms and support,” Saddler said. “I would like to thank President Dr. Jay Clune and Director of Athletics Johnathan Terrell for the opportunity to lead Nicholls Men’s Basketball into its future. I want to be clear to everyone in Thibodaux, we are going to continue to do great things. This place holds a very special place in my heart, with amazing fan support and the people within the community. We look forward to continuing to form a deep relationship within the community. Together we build, the evolution of the program begins now. Geaux Colonels!”

In his lone year with the Terps, the team won 22 games which included a victory over a Top 3 nationally-ranked team and a first-round win in the NCAA Tournament.

Before heading to Maryland, Saddler was an assistant coach at Southland member McNeese in 2021-22. He recruited SLC Freshman of the Year Johnathan Massie and the Cowboys won their first Southland Tournament game since 2014.

Saddler was a director of basketball operations at his alma mater, Nicholls, for two years. Saddler joined the Colonels in the summer of 2019, serving as the program’s director of operations under Austin Claunch. The Colonels went 21-10 in his first season before winning the Southland regular season title outright in 2021.

Prior to returning to Nicholls, Saddler spent the 2018-19 season as a graduate assistant at the University of South Alabama under former Colonel head coach Richie Riley, where he worked with All-Sun Belt talents Trhae Mitchell and Josh Ajeyi on a daily basis.

Saddler received his Master of Science in Sports Management from South Alabama in just 13 months, graduating from the program in July 2019.

Saddler started his playing career at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro, earning SoCon Freshman of the Year and clinching back-to-back All-Conference selections before transferring to play at Nicholls. In his lone season with the Colonels, he helped lead them to their first conference championship in two decades while also earning All-Southland Second Team.

Sandler received his Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Nicholls in May 2018.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Nicholls will host a press conference on Tuesday, April 25 to introduce Saddler as the new head coach. The conference will be held at the Boucvalt Athletic Complex, located at the south endzone of John L. Guidry Stadium. The event will begin around 12 p.m.