East Rock basketball star Tyler Nickel on quest to shatter VHSL scoring record
ELKTON, Va. (BVM) — What do Grant Hill, Alonzo Mourning, Moses Malone and Allen Iverson all have in common? Besides being NBA superstars throughout their careers, each member of the group played high school basketball in the state of Virginia where they became some of the best players of all-time. East Rockingham forward Tyler Nickel could be the next best thing on the basketball court coming from the commonwealth.
The 6-foot-6 sophomore has already established himself as one of the best players in the state. In April, Nickel was named to the Virginia High School League District 2 All-State first team after helping lead the Eagles to a Region B Championship and an appearance in the state semifinals in March where the team fell to eventual state champions John Marshall. During the season, Nickel averaged 26.7 points per game and 7.8 rebounds.
“I was pretty happy with (this season),” Nickel said. “We had a pretty successful year; I think it was the most wins we have had in East Rock’s history so that was really good. I was feeling pretty good offensively the entire year, but it was overall a pretty successful year.”
Nickel has proven over his first two seasons with the Eagles that he is a special talent.
Nickel has 1,464 points through his first two years, scoring 662 points as a freshman and 802 points as a sophomore, surpassing the previous records of 601 and 768, respectively. The number has already surpassed the school’s all-time career points record of 1,235 previously held by Javon Butler and Nickel’s 1,464 points are also the most through a player’s first two seasons in VHSL history. This puts Nickel in rarified air with some of the game’s greatest players who have once called the state their home.
“Quite honestly I didn’t know (I had the record) until after the season,” Nickel said. “I wasn’t keeping track. After the season I found out I had broken that record and I saw who was on that list and it was pretty crazy. … JJ Redick, Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, Moses Malone, all those guys who came out of the VHSL. It’s just crazy to think about, that I’ve passed them at this point in their career; it’s just wild.”
Although being among some of the greats is an honor to Nickel, he isn’t satisfied just being one of the members. By the end of his career, Nickel wants to stand alone at the top.
“Quite honestly, my goal isn’t to be remembered among the names,” Nickel said. “My goal is to be above the names. My goal is to lead the state in that record and I’d rather not be associated with the greats. I’d rather be on my path to try to be the best I possibly can, not dependent on their status, but on what I can do.”
The career scoring mark is currently held by former in-state star and social media sensation Mac McClung who scored 2,801 during his time with Gate City while also offering an array of sensational dunks for the crowd. Nickel wants to shatter the scoring record, passing 3,000 total points during his career.
“A lot of work has gone into me becoming a more versatile scorer, being a very hardoffensive threat to stop,” Nickel said. “I take a lot of pride into scoring, I take a lot of pride into every part of my game, but especially in scoring that’s what I have been known for a lot. My goal is not only to break the scoring record, but to hit at least 3,000 and I think that is very doable. I want to put that record away from being broken any time soon.”
The sophomore has already collected offers from hometown James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Old Dominion and Virginia Tech. In April, Nickel received his first offer from a Big Ten school with an offer from Penn State. As news of his scoring record has moved through the basketball community, more attention has followed Nickel, both in social circles as well as recruiting circles.
“When that kind of became known, I think at first people didn’t really realize what it was,” Nickel said. “The more and more people realized what it was and realized what it meant they were like, ‘Oh shoot.’ There was so much attention when that was out on social media, it was a lot bigger of a deal than I thought it would be.”
“We think it made a difference in recruiting, too,” said Eric Nickel, Tyler’s dad. “There hasn’t been the normal AAU season and live period for coaches to do recruiting, yet we got a lot of interest and calls from particularly Big Ten schools in the last week after the news broke. … We think it had a difference, it got some attention on the national landscape.”
With collegiate opportunities in his sights, Tyler Nickel could be able to achieve a lifelong dream of his own. Even though he is excited for the opportunity to play at the next level, Nickel sees it as just the next big step in his long trip to his final destination.
“(Playing in college) would mean a lot because that’s what I’ve expected of myself since I was little. That is a lot of what I have been working for. I have chosen basketball to have this importance in my life and I feel like that would be a big payoff to go and do what I wanted to do,” Nickel said. “College basketball would mean a whole lot, but again I see that as another step in the journey and it’s just another bigger step than I’ve taken before. But, my journey isn’t going to stop there, hopefully, that’s not the goal.”
Although achieving the scoring record would be a spectacular accomplishment for Nickel, the forward is more focused on team success. The ultimate goal for Nickel is to help the Eagles win a state championship. Until then, the other accolades will take backseat.
“For the team, (the goal) is to win the state championship and that’s the only goal I’ll ever have with any sort of team. Whatever the highest level of championship we can win, that’s the championship we’re trying to win or that I think we need to win,” Nickel said.
With two more seasons left of his prep career, Nickel will get two more swings at the state title that has so far eluded him through his first two seasons. If he continues on his upward trajectory, having a state championship and a career scoring record are not out of the question. With that, maybe someday he will be remembered alongside the likes of Hill, Mourning, Malone and Iverson.
