Former Huss star Woods lands college coaching job

Nicole Woods is returning to college basketball and reuniting with a former coach.

Woods, the former Hunter Huss High School and Belmont Abbey College star, has accepted a graduate assistant coaching position at Southern Illinois University under former Belmont Abbey coach Missy Tiber.

Woods, who played under Tiber for three seasons at Belmont Abbey, will depart Gastonia for her new position Aug. 1.

“I’m excited about it,” Woods said. “I feel like this is a move that’s due for me.”

Will pursue a master’s degree in public administration, which she hopes will help her land a job in the non-profit sector. Her coaching contract lasts until she completes her degree, which she expects to take two years.

Woods will assist with basketball camps, opponent scouting and video exchange, and said she will also help with recruiting, particularly in the Carolinas and Georgia.

“Nicole will be a great addition to our staff here at SIU,” Tiber said in a statement. “Having played for me, she understands the coaching philosophy.”

Southern Illinois, an NCAA Division I school, went 9-19 last season, including 5-13 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Woods was a two-time MVP point guard at Hunter Huss, where she graduated in 2002. At Belmont Abbey, she was a two-time all-conference performer and 2006 CVAC player of the year. She played her final season under coach Katie Pate.

Woods later spent one season playing in the England Basketball League for the Division I Nottingham Wildcats. Over the past year, she has served as unit director of the Quail Hollow Boys and Girls Club in Charlotte and has coached the N.C. Flight 14-and-under AAU girls basketball team.

You can reach Phillip Gardner at 704-869-1843.