Demetris Nichols was a tall forward with a nice three point shot and a long wingspan that made him ideal for the backline of the Syracuse zone defense. 'DNic' was a quiet player who developed from an inconsistent player with flashes of great play, to one of the top scoring players in the Big East conference. He was a deadly perimeter shooter, with average rebounding and ball handling skills.

Nichols started the last fifteen games of his freshman year as a result of Billy Edelin missing time due to personal issues. He play was inconsistent, and his perimeter shot, so highly touted in practice, was non existent. He started the first eight games of his sophomore year, and still struggled to consistently make the perimeter shot.

Nichols finally emerged as the player everyone expected his junior season. His confidence was up, and his perimeter shooting was consistent. At times he showed an aggressive ability to drive the ball strongly to the hoop. He had a few 20+ point games, and a 28 point effort against #1 rated UConn in a loss. Down the stretch run of the regular season, Nichols once again slipped into a slump, failing to score in double figures during the Orange losing streak.

Nichols continued to develop as a player and became a pleasant surprise to Syracuse fans his senior season. He would lead Syracuse in scoring at 18.9 points per game, and was one of the leading scorers in the Big East conference. Nichols shooting improved dramatically from the previous seasons, as he shot 42% from three point range, and 85% from the free throw line. He became the "go to" player for the Orange, and was usually the guy taking the shot when the game was on the line.

There were games where he would have a ten minute stretch where he would score several points, keeping the Orange in the game (as in the Drexel game with 31 points) or winning the game. Against St. Johns in a point in the season where the Orange had to win, the Syracuse offense struggled. Nichols would score a career high 37 points as they would barely win 76-74, needing every basket he made. Overall, he would score 20+ points in 18 games.

Nichols was a candidate for the Big East Player of the Year, and would make the Big East First Team. He was also an Honorable Mention All-American. Nichols was drafted in the 2nd round of the 2007 NBA draft by the Portland Trailblazers with the 53rd pick, and then after the draft he was traded to the New York Knicks. He would be cut by the Knicks before the season began, but the Cleveland Cavaliers signed him and put him on their roster for 2007. He would be with the Cavaliers for a few weeks, and would play only a couple of games before he was cut. The Chicago Bulls would then claim him off waivers. He would play a few games for the Bulls that year.

Nichols would play mostly in the NBDL his second year. He would play two games for the Bulls, and later in the season two games for the New York Knicks.

Nichols was a graduate assistant basketball coach for Syracuse for the 2021-2022 season. He was an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors G-League team in 2022-2023, and was hired as an assistant coach at Wake Forest starting with the 2023-2024 season.

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