East Rock basketball star Tyler Nickel breaks VHSL all-time scoring record
ELKTON, Va. (BVM) – East Rockingham High School senior basketball player Tyler Nickel has been known for his scoring since his first year with the Eagles. During his first two seasons at the school, Nickel became prolific for putting points on the board, breaking the Virginia High School League records for points in a season by a freshman (with 662) and points in a season by a sophomore (with 902) in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Thanks to those performances, Nickel had already long surpassed the program’s all-time scoring record, but as of Feb. 22, the senior is now known as the most prolific scorer in VHSL history.
In a game against Strasburg during the quarterfinals of the Region 2B tournament, Nickel etched his name in the record books in a way that only he can. Late in the fourth quarter, the senior stole the ball on a breakaway and flushed down the bucket which allowed him to pass former Gate City High School standout and current G League player Mac McClung for the VHSL all-time scoring record with 2,802 points, just over McClung’s 2,801 points. Nickel would sink to more free throws by the end of the game to push his lead to 2,804 points to give him 37 points in the Eagles’ 60-51 victory.
Congrats to Tyler Nickel! All time leading scorer in VHSL history! Tonight he broke Mac McClung’s record of 2801 points! An absolute incredible accomplishment!
🔴⚫️🏀 pic.twitter.com/ZdzpLMnJiL— East Rock Basketball (@EastRockHoops) February 23, 2022
With the playoffs continuing for the Eagles, Nickel will push his lead even further than he already has, making the record that much tougher to top. As the top scorer in all of VHSL’s history, Nickel has surpassed the likes of McClung, Grant Hill, Moses Malone, Alonzo Mourning, J.J. Redick and Allen Iverson in career scoring, just to name a few. Certainly not bad company to have one’s name thrown into.
The most impressive thing about Nickel’s ability to obtain the record is the way he’s been able to do it. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic during 2020-21, much of Nickel’s season was wiped out, which caused him to not break a yearly scoring record for the first time in his Eagles career. This also set him back from his goal of breaking the all-time record as his points total took a massive hit due to the sheer lack of games.
However, returning for a full schedule as a senior allowed Nickel to not only break the record, but to do so in an impressive fashion. In December, Nickel surpassed the 2,000-point mark. A couple weeks later on Jan. 4, he set a new career-high and program record for points in a game with 48. That wouldn’t be the last time he’d do it either as later in the month, on Jan. 26, he would score 54 points over Central Woodstock for the first 50-point game of his career.
Congratulations to Tyler Nickel @abg_tnick5 for scoring a school record 54 points tonight! 🔴⚫️🏀 pic.twitter.com/MJtG6OgU9q
— East Rock Basketball (@EastRockHoops) January 27, 2022
Unsurprisingly, his play has earned the senior a number of accolades. This includes being named first team All-Bull Run District as well as the Bull Run District Player of the Year. In addition, Nickel was also selected as a nominee for the McDonald’s All-American Game in January.
Congratulations to @UNC_Basketball commit Tyler Nickel for being nominated for the McDonald’s All American Game! 🔴⚫️🏀 @McDAAG pic.twitter.com/3x9QOqVQFM
— East Rock Basketball (@EastRockHoops) January 13, 2022
As the highest scorer to ever come out of Virginia, it comes as no surprise that Nickel is one of the most highly-touted recruits of the Class of 2022. Ranked within the top 100 by 247Sports and ESPN, the consensus four-star prospect was recruited by nearly every program in the country. While he had his choice of the bunch, Nickel decided to join the legendary University of North Carolina program. With a scorer like Nickel in the fold, it is likely that UNC will stay near the top of the always competitive Atlantic Coast Conference for years to come.
While Heels fans will impatiently wait for Nickel’s arrival, he’s not quite done with East Rock just yet. With a few weeks of basketball left ahead of him, Nickel will look to leave the program with the one accolade he hasn’t achieved yet: a state championship. As the team’s leader and top scorer, the pressure is on Nickel to bring home the trophy, but given what he’s done throughout his time with the Eagles, don’t even think about betting against him.
