College Commitment: Riley Nichol (2019 Stayton HS)
Well, it’s officially official. Those are the exact words that Riley Nichol used to describe his college commitment on Thursday, and the rock-solid 6-foot-7, 215-pound forward from Stayton couldn’t be happier with his decision. Nichol has long wanted to play at the next level at Puget Sound, and when it came down to it the love the Loggers showed him was what secured his services for next season.
“It’s really about time that I decided because they’ve been the school I’ve been talking to the most and for the longest time,” Nichol said. “They’ve always really been number one on my list – they were a great first impression and I’m really, really happy with my decision.”
Basically, Nichol had wanted to commit for quite some time. He had made his official visit to the Tacoma campus back in the fall and loved what he saw. He had been admitted to the school but things had to work out with the financial package in order for things to fit together just right for Nichol, his family, and Puget Sound.
Nichol broke down what he loves about Puget Sound. “It’s not super close to home so it will feel like a true college experience, which is what I was looking for,” Nichol said. “Tacoma and where the campus is at – it’s beautiful up there. I love the Northwest and it’s a perfect spot for that. And the basketball part of it, Coach (Aubrey) Shelton and Coach (Andy) Nelson made it clear that they really wanted me. They were really happy to hear that I was officially committing.”
“They’ve already sent me some workouts so they’re really wanting to build this program up,” Nichol said. “I’m excited to be part of it.”
Nichol immediately becomes the tallest player on the team for the Loggers next season, but he notes that he’ll continue to operate as a stretch four instead of just a pure post player. “That’s what I made clear with them and they’ve seen me play so they know that I can be a stretch four,” Nichol said. “But really, I’ll do whatever they want me to do.”
Nichol has been playing this spring with Elite 24 and will honor his commitment to the team and finish out the season with a couple more tournaments before focusing on preparing for Puget Sound next year. He currently ranks as the #45 player in the PrepHoops Class of 2019 rankings.