South Bay Lakers guard Mac McClung has long been a pure bucket. He is averaging over 21 points in the G League, averaged about 15 points per game over his years at Georgetown and Texas Tech, and broke Allen Iverson’s single-season Virginia high school scoring record.
McClung, who was rated three-stars, finished his high school career in 2018 by setting a Virginia High School League all-time record of 2,801 points. It didn’t take long for that number to be surpassed.
Tyler Nickel, a North Carolina signee out of East Rockingham High School (Elkton, Va.), broke that mark on Tuesday. His 37-point game put him at 2,804 points over his career, according to WHSV.
Reporter TJ Eck posted a video of the dunk that put Nickel above McClung:
The steal. The dunk. The reaction.
Tyler Nickel becomes the @VHSL_ all-time leading scorer Tuesday night: @EastRockHoops @EastRockFamily @abg_tnick5 pic.twitter.com/xaKyNcuWOt
— TJ Eck (@TJEck_TV) February 23, 2022
Nickel broke out as a sophomore, crossing the 1,000-point career mark midway through the year, according to the Harrisonburg Citizen. In a 13-game junior season, he averaged 33.7 points, 10.1 rebounds and 3.9 assists, according to MaxPreps, helping to further establish himself as a legit prospect. Now ranked a four-star small forward standing at 6-foot-8, Nickel had 18 offers before signing with North Carolina.
As a senior, he has scored 50 points twice and reached the 40-point plateau eight times, according to Maxpreps — the most recent coming Friday, when he tacked 41 more points onto his record.
East Rockingham wraps up its season Saturday night, and with a 23-4 record entering the evening, the team will look to make a postseason run with Nickel at the helm.
In a state that has seen stars come through such as Iverson, McClung and JJ Redick, Nickel will look to extend his tally even further.
