Tennessee State University

Karin Nicholls joined the Tennessee State University women’s basketball staff in the summer of 2026, bringing more than three decades of coaching experience and a decorated playing career to head coach Candice Dupree’s staff.

Nicholls has accumulated 34 years of coaching experience at the NCAA Division I and Division II levels, including 10 seasons as a collegiate head coach. She earned 111 career victories while leading three collegiate programs. Her most successful tenure came at Truman State University, where she posted a 71-64 record over five seasons. That run was highlighted by a 22-win campaign and a Sweet Sixteen appearance during the 1998-99 season.

Before joining Tennessee State, Nicholls served as the head girls' basketball coach at Windsor High School in Colorado. During her six-year tenure, Windsor advanced to the state championship game in each of her first three seasons and followed those appearances with three consecutive trips to the Elite Eight. She was named the Colorado Class 4A Coach of the Year in 2022. During her tenure at Windsor, she accumulated a 120-31 record.

Nicholls is also the founder of Colorado Soar Basketball, one of Colorado’s premier girls' basketball development programs. Colorado Soar has provided athletes with opportunities to develop and compete at the local, regional, and national levels.

As a student-athlete at Bradley University, Nicholls established herself as one of the most accomplished players in program history. A four-year standout, she scored 1,461 career points and collected 726 rebounds, placing her among Bradley’s all-time leaders in both categories. She earned All-Gateway Conference honors three times and was named the conference’s Newcomer of the Year in 1987.

Nicholls helped lead Bradley to the first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and was named the university’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1990. Her accomplishments earned her induction into the Bradley Athletics Hall of Fame in 1993 and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2021.

A native of Illinois, Nicholls earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication with a minor in psychology from Bradley University. She later received a master’s degree in sports administration and management from the University of Illinois.