Catching Up With Coach Dave Nicholson
Noblesville boys basketball fans, especially those not identified as Baby Boomers, might not recall the terrible state of Noblesville High School basketball before Dave Nicholson showed up for the 1975-76 season.
The Millers had been so bad that legendary sports scribe Don Jellison wrote a damning column with the headline: Basketball Stone Dead in Nob City. Jellison ripped everyone from coaches and players to the school administration to even the cheerleaders.
He wasn’t wrong. Not even a little.
The Millers hadn’t won a sectional since the glory days of the 1960s. And after multiple losing coaches, Jellison and Noblesville found Nicholson up in Oxford, Ind.
The rest, as they say, is history. Nicholson came to town and turned Noblesville boys basketball completely around.
He led NHS to a sectional championship in 1981. The last time the Black and Gold won before that was 1964. Heck, some of the ’81 team hadn’t even been born yet.
During his 25-year career he posted an amazing overall record of 401-172 with New Ross, Darlington, Benton Central and Noblesville. He led the Millers to a 255-114 record, including an undefeated 1983-84 team. The Millers won eight sectionals in 16 years. Dave is an Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame member, won 16 coach of the year honors, coached an Indiana All-Star and NBA player, won conference titles in five different conferences and even went on to be the president of the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association.
Today, he heads up the Hamilton County Basketball Hall of Fame, a group started in 2003 by none other than Don Jellison. Everyone inducted into the Hall had their picture displayed on the wall of the former Jim Dandy restaurant, a Noblesville icon for decades and decades. However, when Jim Dandy closed almost a year ago, the Hall lost their wall.
“You know, a lot of people would go there just to see (those pictures),” Nicholson told me last week. “We were there for 20, 25 years.”
Enter Ginger’s Café, a popular Noblesville restaurant that’s been serving up delicious home-cooked meals for the last 15 years or so, first out on east Conner and now on south 10th (where the old Kenley’s Grocery used to be).
“We just got all the pictures moved,” Nicholson said, and we’re making sure we get the word out.”
He said the folks at Ginger’s have been more than friendly and have been great to work with. Visitors to the Café can not only get delicious food now, they can enjoy a visit through Hamilton County athletic history.
The Hall has 92 members so far, including five NBA players, collegiate players and Indiana All-Stars.
If you think someone worthy of nomination, you have time. Nominations are open until September. The criteria is they must be a graduate of a Hamilton County high school, must have been out at least 10 years, must have made a significant contribution and be of good character. For coaches, they must have coached in Hamilton County for at least five years, have been retired for at least five and be of good character. Other contributors are eligible as well.
To nominate someone, contact Dave Nicholson at djadv@att.net or (317) 379-0036. Nicholson will send a form and then gather the info for the selection committee.
Two cents, which is about how much Timmons said his columns are worth, appears periodically in The Times. Timmons is the chief executive officer of Sagamore News Media, the company that owns The Noblesville Times. He is also a proud Noblesville High School graduate and can be contacted at ttimmons@thetimes24-7.com.