Now in his second year as an assistant coach for Valdosta State, Nick Gast has quickly turned the skill and knowledge of the game of basketball that he displayed as a player into an asset for Blazer Head Coach Mike Helfer.

During his first season on the Blazer sidelines, Gast helped former VSU star Devario Hudson earn his second straight All-Gulf South Conference nod. Hudson's improvements under Gast were notable enough for the Decatur, Ga. native to be recognized on the NABC All-South District team. Three of the VSU big men were among the top five scorers on the team while Hudson and Jamahl Stokes both ranked among the GSC leaders in rebounding and blocked shots.

In addition to his on-court coaching duties, Gast is also instruemental in the Blazer recruiting efforts. His performance helped Valdosta State land 11 new players in 2008, replenishing a team that saw 10 seniors leave the program over the course of the last two seasons.

Over all, Gast has now spent seven years on the South Georgia campus, the first four as a standout for the Blazer basketball squad and two more as a graduate assistant for the Blazers under former head coach Jim Yarbrough.

After leaving Valdosta State in 2004, Gast spent a season as the head boy's basketball coach at Clinch County High School. He led the squad to an eight-win improvement during his one season with the Panthers, finishing with a 16-10 record and a third-place showing in region play.

Gast left Clinch County in 2005 to join Yarbrough as an assistant coach at Division I Southeastern Louisiana University, a position he held for two seasons before returning to Valdosta. While with the Lions, Gast was directly responsible for recruiting and tutoring the team's post players. He also oversaw all opponent scouting and was in charge of monitoring student-athlete academic progress and preseason conditioning. Southeastern Louisiana compiled a 32-26 record during Gast's two seasons with the team.

Gast was a four-year starter for the Blazers between 1998 and 2002 and was twice named to the All-Gulf South Conference squad, earning the honor in 2001 and 2002. He is one of only 19 Blazers to score 1,000 points during their career, having finished with 1,094 in 107 career games. He also starred in the classroom and earned a position on the Gulf South Conference All-Academic team in 2002 while leading the school to the GSC Regular Season Championship that season.

Upon earning his undergraduate degree in Health and Physical Education from Valdosta State, Gast joined Yarbrough's Blazer staff as a graduate assistant prior to the 2002-03 season. His first tenure as a coach on the Blazer staff lasted two seasons and saw the Baltimore, Md. native in charge of recruiting, scouting and film exchange.

Gast is married to the former Traci Newton, an elementary school teacher in Valdosta and a former All-Gulf South Conference performer on the Lady Blazer basketball team.