BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – Bowling Green State University women's basketball head coach Fred Chmiel has announced the addition of John Nicolais to his staff. Nicolais joins the Falcons after spending the 2023-24 season as the interim head coach at Youngstown State.

"This was a hard position to fill, but John checked every box," said Chmiel. "John has great experience and success as a recruiter. He has led a program as the interim head coach, and has a multitude of years as an assistant at the collegiate level.

"John is of high character and came highly recommended. We are excited to welcome John and his family to BGSU."

Nicolais (pronounced NICK-oh-lay) arrives in Northwest Ohio after spending the last 11 seasons on the Youngstown State staff. He joined the Penguins as an assistant coach under John Barnes in 2013-14 and was elevated to associate head coach prior to the 2018-19 season.

Nicolais assumed the helm of the women's basketball program in 2023-24, in what was his 11th season in Youngstown. He  was named acting head coach when Barnes went on personal family leave on Oct. 2, 2023, shortly after the start of official practices, and he served as the program's interim head coach after Barnes officially resigned on Jan. 19, 2024.

"I'm excited to join Coach Chmiel's staff and work to build on the rich tradition and success that Bowling Green is known for," said Nicolais. "From facilities to fan support & attendance and name recognition, BG is one of the premier programs in mid major D1 women's basketball. Talons Up!"

Nicolais guided the Penguins to a 14-18 overall record and a 9-11 Horizon League mark in the '23-24 campaign. After beginning the season with a 6-12 record, YSU went 8-6 down the stretch, including a 5-2 mark in the month of February.

The Penguins narrowly missed out on a fourth-place conference finish, but posted the program's first Horizon League Tournament win since 2019, with a resounding 73-50 win over IUPUI in the first round.

Individually, Emily Saunders was named to the All-Horizon League Third Team and All-Defensive Team in her fifth season, while Mady Aulbach, a three-year team captain, earned the inaugural Horizon League Sportsmanship Award in 2023-24.

Perhaps most impressively, YSU had a spectacular year in the classroom. The women's basketball Penguins had a team GPA of 3.87 in 2023-24, including an eye-popping 3.94 team GPA in the spring semester.

The Penguins enjoyed an impressive stretch of success after Nicolais arrived on campus with Barnes in 2013. YSU played in a postseason tournament five times and appeared in the WBCA Top 25 Academic Honor Roll 10 times, and the Penguins reached new heights in 2021-22, winning the first Horizon League regular-season title in school history.

Throughout his tenure as an assistant at YSU, Nicolais was in charge of game scheduling, assisting with player development, game preparation and opponent scouting. He also served as a liaison to the strength and conditioning coach, oversaw the male practice squad and was active in the recruiting process. He assumed a larger role in the team's defensive strategy when he took on duties as associate head coach.

The Penguins entered the 2022-23 season with high expectations, and they posted 19 overall wins and 13 Horizon League victories that winter. It was the fifth time in Nicolais's tenure that the Penguins won at least 19 games, and YSU won at least 13 league contests for the third time in five years.

In 2021-22, YSU captured the program's first regular-season conference title in 23 years. the Penguins finished the season 24-7, winning at least 24 games for the third time in program history and for the first time since 1997-98. After an 8-0 start, YSU followed a loss at Penn State with a seven-game winning streak. A five-game streak in February gave the Penguins three separate winning streaks of at least five games for just the second season in school history. YSU set a new school record for conference wins with 18, tying the Horizon League record in the process.

The Penguins won 10 of their final 15 games in 2020-21 and led the Horizon League in three-pointers per game for the seventh straight campaign. YSU had a league-best three players to earn all-conference accolades, and won a game in the Horizon League tourney for the sixth time in the staff's eight seasons.

The 2019-20 season saw the Penguins battle through injuries to still win 13 games and post impressive numbers. YSU ranked third in the country in free-throw percentage at a school-record 79.6 percent. The Penguins additionally made at least 200 3-pointers for the 10th straight season and led the league in triples per game for the sixth straight campaign.

In 2018-19, Youngstown State went 22-10 and earned an at-large berth into the Women's NIT. The Penguins set new program records with 16 home victories and 13 HL wins.

The '17-18 club posted the program's best February record in 20 years to qualify for the Women's Basketball Invitational. YSU went 7-1 in February and won nine of its final 11 games of the regular season to climb up to a tie for fourth in the HL. The Penguins set a school record for consecutive conference road victories by winning the final six Horizon League road contests.

The 2015-16 team showed grit and resilience to finish 21-13 and advance to the semifinals of the WBI. The Penguins trailed by at least eight points in eight of their victories, and they were down by as many as 14 points four times in wins. YSU won in the final five seconds five times.

In Nicolais's second year with the program, the Penguins reached the WNIT for just the second time in the program's history. YSU won 21 games in 2014-15 and started the season 10-0 for the first time at the Division-I level.

In the staff's first season in 2013-14, the Penguins overachieved to finish third in the Horizon League and advance to the semifinals of the conference tournament. A hungry group of seniors helped YSU win its first six league games.

Nicolais came to Youngstown as a highly-respected assistant at the Division II level over the previous 10 years. He helped Drury University to 101 wins over a five-year span, and he spent five years at Glenville State when the Lady Pioneers went 145-22. Nicolais' teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament nine times in his 10 seasons.

Nicolais helped with monitoring academic progress at Drury, and the Lady Panthers had the nation's top grade-point average in 2011-12 (regardless of division) at 3.709. They had a 3.591 GPA in 2010-11, which was third in Division II.

Drury, located in Springfield, Mo., was 19-10 and went to the NCAA Tournament in Nicolais's first season on the bench in 2008-09. The Lady Panthers then went 28-7 while winning the Great Lakes Valley Conference and advanced to the Sweet 16 the following season. Drury won the GLVC West Division title and finished with 20 wins in each of the next two seasons.

At Glenville State, Nicolais worked directly with two All-Americans and the WVIAC and GSC's all-time leading scorer as the perimeter coach. The Lady Pioneers were 33-3 in 2006-07, 30-3 in 2005-06, 24-8 in 2004-05, and 29-4 in both 2003-04 and 2002-03. Glenville State went 84-6 in West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contests in Nicolais's five years while winning conference championships in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007.

Prior to joining Glenville State, Nicolais was an assistant coach at Gilmer County High School in Glenville, W.Va. His team in 2001 advanced to the state title game. Nicolais also served as head volleyball coach at Gilmer from 2000-03 and led his squad to a 115-47 record. The Titans advanced to the state semifinals in 2001 and 2003, and his 2003 squad won the West Virginia Class A State Championship with a 45-7 record. For his efforts, he was recognized as the West Virginia Coaches Association Region II Coach of the Year.

Nicolais, a native of Elizabeth, W. Va., is a 2002 graduate of Glenville State. He and his wife, Carrie, have two daughters, Harper and Hailey.

John Nicolais -- Coaching Timeline
2024-     — BGSU Assistant Coach
2023-24 — Youngstown State Interim Head Coach
2018-23 — Youngstown State Associate Head Coach
2013-18 — Youngstown State Assistant Coach
2008-13 — Drury Assistant Coach
2003-08 — Glenville State Assistant Coach

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