WVU Basketball Products Discuss Coaching Against Each Other in Philadelphia Big 5

Zach Spiker once recruited Darris Nichols to the WVU basketball program. Now they can say they faced off as head coaches in the Philadelphia Big 5.

Nichols, the La Salle Explorers’ head coach, played for the Mountaineers from 2004 to 2008, appearing in 144 games and lettering in each of his four seasons, including a Sweet Sixteen appearance under Bob Huggins in 2008. Drexel head coach Zach Spiker and Morgantown native bears responsibility for bringing Nichols to WVU Basketball, recruiting him while serving as an administrative assistant under head coach John Beilein.

Nichols, who took over for the Explorers in March 2025, said that Spiker, a ten season veteran in Philadelphia, helped him settle down in the City of Brotherly Love.

“Since I’ve been in Philadelphia he’s been really good for me, helping me out, getting me to understand the city and things like that. [He’s] kind of a big reason why I went to West Virginia, so it’s special to see what he’s doing with that program,” Nichols said. “We talked before the game and said ‘I know Coach Beilein’s watching us,’” who I played for, he worked for.”

Spiker, whose Dragons ended up on the losing end in the 2025 Big 5 Classic, said he’s glad that Nichols can coach in the same city as him… although he wasn’t happy with the game’s result.

“I wish he had a great learning opportunity today,” Spiker quipped. “Darris does a good job, it’s part of the story. We’ve known each other, we’ve got a lot of mutual friends, happy that he got the opportunity at La Salle to be close by.”