Sophomore 6’7 Tyler Nickel is a name that should be on the rise in the state of Virginia, especially with what he showed at the Virginia Phenom 150 in Richmond.

Coming into the camp, Nickel had something to prove.  Despite holding two Division I offers already, many still may not know his name.  That may change in a hurry as he came in to show his skillset and just what he is capable of doing on the court.

“It was awesome (camp),” Nickel told Phenom Hoop Report.  “I just went out and did what I’m supposed to do.  I wanted to show my ability to score at all three levels and defend any position.  I also wanted to show my ability to rebound and go coast-to-coast. Also, be able to bring the ball up against pressure and I feel like I did that pretty successfully.”

That he did, on his way to MVP honors and averaging 31 points per game at the camp.  He certainly caught the eyes of several of our scouts and we could easily see that translate into a successful high school season this year.

Heading into the season, Nickel continues to work on his explosiveness and ball-handling, as he should be a critical piece for East Rockingham high school.

Two early offers on the board:

As we mentioned above, Nickel holds two offers already as a sophomore.  Virginia Tech and James Madison liked what they saw early on and decided to jump on him early.

“They like what I’m doing and want me to continue to work as hard as I do,” he said.  “Virginia Tech has shown a lot of love and James Madison has been always the hometown college, so that is very cool.”

So far, he has taken two visits, one being to James Madison and he has plans on visiting Virginia Tech for their homecoming football game.  What does he hope to see with the Hokies though?

“A live environment and basically just see what the atmosphere is like there.”

High-major programs have been showing early interest as well:

Outside the two schools that have offered, Nickel mentioned schools like Virginia, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Florida, West Virginia, Ohio State, Richmond, Georgetown, Old Dominion, Liberty, NC State, Kentucky, and Tennessee have all shown some type of interest.

However, he just wrapped up a visit to Richmond, he is visiting Georgetown soon and plans to visit Ohio State in November.  Those three schools seem to be the strongest interest so far for the sophomore.

With a big upcoming season and the ability to showcase his talent, much as he did at the Virginia Phenom 150, those interests could turn into offers quickly for the Virginia prospect.