Jaime Gonzales was named as an assistant coach for women's basketball at Nicholls State University in August 2022. He comes to
Thibodaux having been the head coach at LSU Eunice.
While at LSUE, Gonzales helped usher in a dominant era for LSU Eunice women's basketball, winning two Louisiana Community College Athletic Conference (LCCAC) titles in his three years including four postseason wins. The Bengals had not won a postseason game in more than a decade before Gonzales' arrival.
LSUE produced the LCCAC Player of the Year three consecutive seasons under Coach Gonzales. Ava Jones started the trend in the 2019-20 season, followed by Alona Washington (2020-21) and Tahjea Smith (2021-22). Jones also became the first Bengal ever to be named to the All-Region 23 team.
The Bengals thrived in their first year under Coach Gonzales with a 21-7 record, capturing the LCCAC championship with an undefeated record in league play. For his efforts, Gonzales was named the Louisiana Sportswriters Association (LSWA) Coach of the Year for the 2019-2020 season. The award is comprised of all NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA schools in Louisiana. Gonzales was the first coach from an NJCAA institution to receive the yearly honor.
Gonzales followed that up with another 2021 LCCAC Regular Season Championship, leading the Bengals to an 18-4 record with two victories in the Region 23 Tournament. LSUE was led by LCCAC Player of the Year and Second-Team LSWA All-Louisiana selection, Alona Washington.
The Bengals also secured their first victory over a ranked opponent in nearly a decade, upending Blinn College at home, 64-53, on Feb. 10.
Gonzales came to Eunice with ten seasons of coaching experience at the high school, junior college and Division I levels.
The Hempstead, Texas native was an Assistant Women’s Basketball Coach at Sam Houston State University during the 2017-18 season, one of three stops with the Bearkats for Gonzales. In addition to his one season as a full-time assistant, Gonzales was a graduate assistant (2013-14) and student assistant (2006-07) in Huntsville, Texas.
Gonzales brings a wealth of junior college experience, with four stints at some of the most prestigious programs in the country. As an assistant at Odessa College in 2016-17, he played a critical role in assembling a team that went 29-2 and finished in the Elite Eight of the NJCAA National Tournament. His recruiting class that year at Odessa went on to have eight student-athletes receive NCAA Division I offers.
Other stops in the NJCAA included Hill College, Arizona Western College and Neosho County Community College. Gonzales has also had stints in the high school ranks throughout Texas including coaching boys’ teams.
An eight-year United States Armed Forces veteran, Gonzales served as a Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Crewmember in the U.S. Army. After service, he attended Sam Houston State University where he graduated in 2007 with a B.S. in Kinesiology.
Gonzales and his wife Mercedes have four children: Haley, Alexavier, Arissa and Ajai.
