Darris and Shane Nichols bring their brotherly love to La Salle basketball

La Salle basketball head coach Darris Nichols was hired in March. His associate head coach is his older brother Shane.

"He doesn't act like a boss," Shane said. "He bounces off ideas, he listens, and we work together."

Growing up in Northern Virginia, the brothers were always around the game of basketball. Their dad was a former college basketball player, so it was in their blood.

"Just seeing [Shane's] work ethic, learning from him and my dad, helped me become a better player," Darris reflected."

As the brothers grew up, basketball became the center of their relationship.

Shane recalled, "We always played 1-on-1, brother stuff. You get into fights and stuff. As we got older, we started trying to help each other and work out together, and try to push each other to get better."

They played high school basketball together and went on to have respective college careers. Following stints playing pro overseas, the brothers fell into coaching. It was another chapter that brought them closer together.

"It was great because you always need people you can trust," Shane said. "I trust his evaluation."

Sports have a demanding schedule. Players and coaches frequently miss family gatherings, weekends, and holidays. So when the pair became coaches, they started crossing paths.

"When we both got into coaching, we'd see each other on the road, at tournaments, things like that," Darris shared. "Then, after the event was over, you'd go out to eat. We saw each other more when we got into coaching than we had in previous years."

The brothers made many stops as they built their coaching careers, but none bigger than when they joined forces: Darris was named the head coach at Radford, and he hired Shane to his staff.

"If it was somebody else that got the Radford job, I wouldn't have went," Shane admitted. "But my brother getting it, I said, 'Let's see if we can build something here.'"

When the opportunity arose for Darris to be hired at La Salle, Shane followed.

"As a leader, I don't want people to feel like they work for me," Darris said. "I want them to feel like they work with me. I wanted him to feel like that and make his own decision. I said, 'If you want to come, it's yours,' and I'm fortunate that he's here."

From pickup basketball as kids to coaching together at the college level, the brotherhood has never faded. It's now the foundation at La Salle.