Jerry Nichols had an exciting freshman campaign at Walters State C.C. in Morristown, Tenn., but the wiry 6-4 shooting/combo guard from Memphis encountered a major obstacle during his sophomore season in 2002-2003.

Nichols, who averaged 22 points, 4.8 rebounds and three assists per game as a freshman, earned second team NJCAA All-American honors in 2001-2002.

He was named MVP of the TJCCAA/NJCAA Region VII tournament, where he averaged 23 points a game in leading the Senators to their first ever region victory and a berth to the NJCAA national tournament. At the national tournament, Nichols proved to be a model of consistency, averaging 23 points per game in earning All-Tournament honors.

Nichols had hoped to build on all of those fine accomplishments in 2002-2003, but he tore the ACL in his right kneee just four games into the season. As a result, he was granted a medical red-shirt and will return to Walters State in 2003-2004 for his sophomore season.

"He has been rehabbing his leg and hitting the weights," Walters State Head Coach Bill Carlyle told JUCO Junction in an interview earlier this spring. "It has worked out, because he is more mature and his knee is stronger now."

Nichols injured his knee while chasing a loose ball during a game last fall. Not only has he been able to use the down time to rehab and get stronger, but Carlyle said that Nichols has also been able to work on various aspects of his game.

"He's worked on his shot, which had a little whiffle ball to it," Carlyle said. "He can really take the ball to the basket and create his own shot, and he can shoot the three pointer with consistency. He just needed to get stronger and improve his defense."

There's little doubt that Nichols should be one of the better guard prospects in the JC Class of 2004.

Carlyle said that Arkansas State has been the strongest factor early on in Nichols' recruiting process. Others who have expressed interest include Middle Tennessee State, East Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, McNeese State, Iowa State, Kansas State and Oral Roberts.

"He's way ahead of schedule," Carlyle said of Nichols. "He can play both the one and the two and he's my best ball handler."

JUCO Junction will keep you abreast of Nichols and other top prospects in the JC Class of 2004, so keep it tuned to this site as the summer evaluation period approaches.