It was certainly a different type of season for Kansas sophomore S’Mya Nichols than the one she experienced as a freshman last season, but it ended right where everybody thought it would – with Nichols earning first team all-Big 12 honors this week.
The standout guard from nearby Shawnee Mission West High School was one of three Jayhawks to earn postseason honors from the Big 12 coaches this season.
She joined transfer Elle Evans, who was an honorable mention all-Big 12 pick, and freshman forward Regan Williams, who was named to the Big 12’s all-freshman team.
Both Jayhawks played key roles around Nichols as starters and offensive options. But it was Nichols who was always the face of the program.
She was the focal point of every defensive scouting report for KU’s opponents. She drew the attention of two and sometimes three or four defenders while she was on the floor. She played hurt and through pain and with way more attention thrown her way than anything she saw last season.
And she did it all with her signature poise and smile.
She also delivered the way the Jayhawks expected her to, leading the team in scoring (18.9 points per game) and assists (4.8 per game) while contributing as a defender and rebounder, as well.
Her points-per-game mark ranked fifth in the Big 12 during the regular season, when she scored in double digits in 26 of 29 games, including 16 games of 20 or more points.
Interestingly enough, her 31.5 minutes-per-game usage number ranked just third on the team behind Evans (35.1) and transfer guard Sania Copeland (33).
Even with all of the added attention and responsibility, Nichols still put up solid shooting numbers. She shot 46% from the floor overall and 39% from 3-point range while also shooting 84% at the free throw line.
That last number was a big part of her sophomore season.
Nichols currently leads the Big 12 and ranks second nationally in free throws made (216) and free throws attempted (258). And earlier this season she shattered KU’s single-season record for free throws made while also moving into the top 10 on the school’s all-time free throw list in just two seasons.
Beyond that, she also eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for her career, making her the second-fastest Jayhawk in KU women’s basketball history to reach 1,000 points.
Nichols got there in 58 games, while Woodard, the Hall of Famer and KU legend, did it in 39 games during her playing days.
Nichols becomes just the fifth player in program history to be named to the all-Big 12 team more than once, joining Lynn Pride (1998, 1999, 2000), Carolyn Davis (2011, 2012), Chelsea Gardner (2014, 2015) and Taiyanna Jackson (2023, 2024).
As for the other two all-Big 12 honorees, Williams was one of the biggest bright spots for the Jayhawks this season, earning a starting role out of the gate and never really giving it up.
The 6-foot-3 freshman from Park Hill South High School in Kansas City, Missouri, started 24 of 29 games for the Jayhawks, averaging 8.9 points per game and a team-best 5.0 rebounds.
Evans, meanwhile, was the only other Jayhawk to average in double figures, scoring 14.4 points per game while shooting 42% from 3-point range. Known as a deadly long distance shooter when she arrived, Evans, a 6-3 junior who transferred to KU from North Dakota State, showed good growth in her game in the areas of physicality and play-making.
Her 69 3-pointers tied for the second most in a single season in program history, and her 42.1% shooting clip from behind the arc was the fifth best in a single season by a KU women's player.
Evans scored in double figures in 20 of the 28 games in which she played, all starts.
Nichols and the 11th-seeded Jayhawks fell to 14 seed Texas Tech, 57-53, on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri, in the opening round of the Big 12 tournament.
Nichols was limited to 8 points in 28 minutes in the loss while spending a good chunk of the fourth quarter on the bench after tweaking her knee in the game.
Evans, who is also nursing an injury, did not play on Wednesday.
The loss dropped the Jayhawks to 16-14 overall and now Kansas will await word on its postseason fate, which will not be in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
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