Virginia Tech and Mike Young picked up a transfer commitment from North Carolina’s Tyler Nickel on Thursday evening.
View tweetA 6-7, 220-pound freshman from Harrisonburg, Va., Nickel averaged 2.1 points in six minutes per game in one season in Chapel Hill. A four-star prospect out of high school in the class of 2022, he was ranked as the third-best player in Virginia.
Nickel’s playing time fluctuated over the course of the season. He played a season-high 25 minutes at Virginia Tech in December, finishing with eight points (3-of-5 FG) and two rebounds. Yet, he only saw 10-plus minutes three more times — against The Citadel, Syracuse and Wake Forest. His 16-point outing against the Bulldogs was his season high.
However, despite the inconsistency, Nickel was solid when he was on the floor. He was used on 17% of possessions, per KenPom, and had a team-best 119.0 offensive rating. He’ll provide the Hokies with a good option on the wing and in the frontcourt.
He’s got similar size to Old Dominion transfer Mekhi Long (6-7) and redshirt sophomore John Camden (6-8). He wasn’t necessarily a 3-point threat this season — Nickel was 6-of-27 (22.2%) from deep — but he got to the free throw line often (47.5% FT rate — 19 FT/40 FGA).
Nickel starred at East Rockingham High School in Elkton, Va., just east of Harrisonburg. He finished his career as the VHSL all-time leading scorer with 2,909 points in 102 games (28.5 average). He also recorded 817 rebounds, 333 assists, 159 steals and 127 blocks across four seasons.
The son of two collegiate basketball players, Eric and Jacki, Nickel was the Commonwealth’s player of the year in 2022 as a senior after averaging 35 points, 11 boards and five assists. Under his guidance, East Rockingham made four state tournament appearances with runner-up finishes in 2020 and 2022.
Out of high school, Nickel had offers from Iowa, Butler, Cincinnati, Creighton, Clemson, LSU, Indiana and Penn State, among others. His original decision came down to the Hokies and Tar Heels, and he picked UNC. Christian Webster was the lead recruiter, per 247Sports.
With Nickel’s addition, Virginia Tech has 11 scholarship players for 2023-24. Note that those numbers do not include Grant Basile and Hunter Cattoor, who have the option to return and use their COVID year. They have yet to make a decision. Should they both opt to return to Blacksburg, the Hokies would be at the 13-man scholarship limit.
Here is a complete breakdown:
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