Nicholls State University head men’s basketball coach Austin Claunch officially announced the promotion of Nick Bowman to associate head coach, pending approval from the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors. Further, the Red & Gray signal-caller introduced three new additions to his staff, including both Darion Brown and Stevie Taylor as assistant coaches along with Nicholls alumnus and former student-athlete Stevie Repichowski as the program’s Director of Operations.
Entering his fourth season with the the Red & Gray, Bowman takes over as the Colonels’ top assistant following a three-year stint as the second man on the bench under former Associate Head Coach Trevor Deloach. Notably, the Ohio native has now worked alongside Claunch since the duo first met at Clemson in 2013, where the former acted as Assistant Video Services Director while Bowman served as the team’s Director of Recruiting.
Brown joins the Colonels after a one-year stay as the Director Recruiting at South Alabama from 2020-21, where he managed the prospect database in addition to leading on-court skill workouts for the Jaguars. Previously, he worked as a graduate assistant coach at Salem University for one season (2018-19), helping the staff with a variety of tasks including the creation of opponent scouting reports, on-court development drills and pre-game planning.
A native of Alexandria, La., Brown earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Our Lady of the Lake University in May 2018 before securing his Master of Business Administration in Management from Salem University in May 2020. While studying at Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio, Texas, Brown accumulated an impressive playing career as a four-year starter for the Saints, finishing with 1,116 total points, 551 assist, 270 rebounds and 189 steals en route to three NAIA National Tournament appearances and two All-RRAC second-team selections.
Taylor, meanwhile, comes to Thibodaux following a two-year stint as an assistant coach at Langston University from 2019-21, actively contributing to opponent scouting reports, on-court instruction, recruiting and overall student-athlete development. Prior to joining the Lions, he acted a graduate assistant coach at Boston College for two seasons from 2017-19, learning the basics of coaching while helping with pre-game scouting, in-game adjustments and prospect database management.
Originally from Gahanna, Ohio, Taylor competed in 137 career games for Ohio University while notching 34 starts across his final two seasons. During his time in Athens, the Bobcats earned three postseason appearances and advanced to the NCAA Tournament on one occasion, reaching the Sweet Sixteen during his freshman campaign. Following the conclusion of his collegiate career, Taylor advanced to the professional ranks for two seasons in Italy, averaging 23.0 points per game while overseas.
He earned his Bachelor of Science in University Studies from Ohio University in May 2015 before locking down a Master of Science in Sports Administration from Boston College in May 2019.
Last, but certainly not least, Repichowski signs on with his alma mater following a two-year stretch as the special assistant to the head coach at South Alabama, primarily assisting with game operations, travel accommodations and behind-the-scenes processes such as film editing and inventory management.
A product of Lansing, Mich., he competed for one season at Tulsa before transferring to the Red & Gray, racking up 54 total appearances across two active seasons while serving as a key role player during the Colonels’ 2017-18 regular-season championship run. Academically, Repichowski earned his Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies from Nicholls State University in May 2018 before procuring his Master of Arts in Educational Leadership from the University of South Alabama in May 2020.
Nicholls State Men’s Basketball Staff Update
