TAYLORVILLE, Utah (July 15, 2022) – It's not only the players who are moving on from the Salt Lake Community College Men's Basketball program to other opportunities.
 
Continuing a trend of SLCC players moving on to NCAA four-year success, Bruins coach Kyle Taylor announced Friday that Salt Lake assistant coach Nick Covington has accepted a position to become the Director of Basketball Operations at Jacksonville State, a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference that will soon move to Conference USA.
 
Covington was an early hire by Taylor, helping the Bruins to an 84-11 record in three seasons and three NJCAA tournament berths. He is the third SLCC assistant to move on to an NCAA Division-I coaching opportunity in the last three seasons (Rosbie Mutcherson, Idaho State; Ricardo Rush, NJIT). 
 
In joining Jacksonville State, Covington will be joining a team that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season, along with rejoining his own college coach, Ray Harper. Covington played for Harper at Oklahoma City University, where he led the team to an NAIA national title. 
 
Taylor said his excitement about Covington's new opportunities outweighs his sadness over losing a treasured assistant.
 
"It's bittersweet for me to see Nick moving on from our staff," he said. "Obviously I'm thrilled for him and the opportunity to be an NCAA Division-I coach, and to reconnect with his college coach Ray Harper. On the other hand, Nick will be impossible to replace. He has been a phenomenal coach, and on court basketball skill trainer for our players the past three years. 
 
"Nick has really helped me grow as a coach, and I give him a lot of credit for instilling in our players and program a championship mindset. Nick is ready to join the ranks of NCAA Division-I and I'm looking forward to watching him continue to grow and establish himself at that level. He knows the game, is great with the players, puts quality scouting reports together, and is a winner. His competitive nature in summer workouts, fall practices, and throughout the course of a long season will really be missed on our Bruins bench."
 
Covington said his time at SLCC was invaluable in his development as a coach.
 
"I wanted to first and foremost thank Kevin Dustin and the rest of the administrative staff for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the rich sports tradition at Salt Lake Community College," he said.  "I will always be grateful for Coach Taylor recognizing my potential and trusting me to learn alongside him on his coaching staff. I feel confident that lessons and wisdom I take from my time at SLCC will serve me well as I continue my journey throughout my coaching career."