New High Point University women's basketball coach Jennifer Hoover has officially begun to fill her staff with the addition of Kevin Nicholls, it was announced on Tuesday. Nicholls joins the Panthers after three seasons as an assistant at USC Upstate where he helped the Spartans win 20 games in 2009-10 and 17 in 2010-11.

“Kevin is a relentless recruiter and his wealth of experience in the region will be a big asset to our program moving forward," Hoover said. "He played a big role at USC Upstate in turning that team into a 20-game winner last season and I believe he can have a similar impact here at HPU. He has done some great work with post players in the past and I believe that he and I will be able to collaborate well in our work with the post players here at High Point. What he will be able to bring our staff and this program will be truly invaluable to us.”

Nicholls served as recruiting coordinator for two years at USC Upstate and was the Spartans primary post coach. Prior to his time at Upstate, Nicholls worked as an assistant coach at North Greenville College from 1999-2007.

“I am extraordinarily grateful to join Cooch Hoover's staff here at High Point and I'm very excited to get started," Nicholls said. "HPU has a beautiful campus and fantastic academics and I believe that the possibilities here are endless. We truly have the opportunity to build something special.”

In his three season at USC Upstate, Nicholls helped guide the brand new Division I team from five wins to 20. In his second year as the recruiting coordinator, Nicholls secured a group that included three of All-Star Girls' Basketball Report's Top 1,000 players. Nicholls' first recruiting class helped the Spartans improve from five wins in its first year as a Division I program to 13 wins in its second season. The team's five-place and seven-win jump in the Atlantic Sun was the fifth-best turnaround in league history.

At North Greenville, Nicholls began as a student assistant coach while earning his undergraduate degree in Sports Management. After graduating in 2002, Nicholls stayed on with the program, rising to the role of recruiting coordinator while also being involved with such tasks as planning practice schedules, scheduling games, keeping statistics and assisting with the maintenance of the budget.

Nicholls coached Earlana Jackson at North Greenville, guiding the post player to the school's all-time scoring record. She is the only player in school history to record 1,000 career points and 1,000 career rebounds and was a two-time NCCAA All-American.

Nicholls left North Greenville for one season in 2002-03, serving as the administrative Intern with the University of Virginia's women's basketball program. During his one season, the Cavaliers advanced to the second round of the tournament and pulled off an upset win over then No. 8-ranked North Carolina.

A native of Troy, Va., Nicholls attended Piedmont Virginia Community College and Radford University before transferring to North Greenville to finish his education.