UNC Basketball: Tyler Nickel’s prestigious honor following great season
UNC basketball commit Tyler Nickel received a prestigious honor for his terrific senior season.
Not only is Tyler Nickel the most accomplished and decorated basketball player in East Rockingham High School history, but he’s also being discussed among the best ever to play the game in his entire area.
On Tuesday, he was awarded as such, being named the 2021-22 All-Valley Boys Basketball Player of the Year for another outstanding season, his final before joining the North Carolina Tar Heels this summer.
The 6-foot-8, 210-pound Nickel averaged 34.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.9 steals, and 1.6 blocks per game and was the Virginia High School League Class 2 State Player of the Year. Nickel’s 2,909 career points over his four seasons at East Rockingham made him the all-time leading scorer in VHSL history, passing former Gate City and Texas Tech standout Mac McClung.
Nickel’s bid to become the state’s all-time leading scorer was aided by a career-high 54-point game against rival Central. He racked up 38 of his eventual 54 points in the first half, a feat he also accomplished a few weeks prior in a 73-41 victory over Strasburg.
One of the best shooters in his class, Nickel is ranked 74th according to the 247Sports Composite for 2022. He’s 14th among players at his position and No. 3 in the state of Virginia. He’s part of a solid freshman class for UNC that includes three four-star players and is ranked 17th in the nation.
Next. Anthony Harris makes another official visit. dark
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