Brett MacConnell, the head coach of Dartmouth men’s basketball, announced on May 11 the addition of Bill Courtney and Nick Nichay to his staff for the upcoming 2026-27 season.
The appointments bring new experience to the Big Green program. Nichay joins as an assistant coach after a 14-year tenure at Franklin & Marshall, where he served as head coach for seven years. During his time there, he led the Diplomats to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and a Centennial Conference Championship in the 2024-25 season.
“I’ve known Nick Nichay for nearly 20 years, and there is no one I trust more. He’s been a tremendous head coach for the last seven years and will bring invaluable experience and perspective to our staff,” MacConnell said. “Just as importantly, Nick genuinely cares about student-athletes and will have a tremendous impact on the young men in our program.”
Nichay’s teams at Franklin & Marshall achieved three straight 20-win seasons and ranked among the top ten nationally in defense over each of the past two seasons. He was also recognized with back-to-back Centennial Conference Coaching Staff of the Year honors and named to the Most Impactful DIII Head Coaches list in 2023.
MacConnell said, “Nick has consistently built some of the best defenses in the country at any level, and he adds another humble, hardworking, relationship-driven coach to our staff who perfectly reflects the culture we want at Dartmouth.”
Courtney takes on duties as Director of Basketball Operations following two seasons with University of Miami men’s basketball as a graduate assistant. He previously worked with Notre Dame’s team from 2019 to 2023 while earning his bachelor’s degree before pursuing his master’s at Miami.
“Bill Courtney is someone I feel incredibly fortunate to add to our staff — I’ve joked that it feels like winning the draft lottery because I truly could not have found a better young prospect in this profession,” MacConnell said.
Courtney contributed during NCAA tournament runs by both Notre Dame (reaching second round in 2022) and Miami (second round in 2026). MacConnell added: “Bill is smart, driven, and exceptionally organized, and he’ll help us present our program the way we envision it: as a high-level program with championship standards. Beyond that, Bill brings an analytical basketball mind and a fresh perspective that will positively impact our coaching, scouting, and recruiting decisions every day.”
