Former Virginia Tech Basketball Player Continues Scoring Surge With New Team

Last season after being eliminated in the second round of the NIT at Ohio State, there was a mass exodus of players from the Virginia Tech men's basketball team. In the end, only Mylyjael Poteat, who entered the portal but withdrew three days later, returns for the 2024-25 season in Blacksburg.

One of the players that left in the portal was wing Tyler Nickel, who ended up at Vanderbilt along with Hokie teammate MJ Collins. Early in the season, the Commodores are one of the bigger surprise teams in the country under first-year coach Mark Byington. So far in six games, Nickel has been very good for the Commodores and that was evident Friday night.

Tyler Nickel continues hot start for Vanderbilt

Through five games of the season, Nickel was fourth on Vanderbilt averaging 10.4 points a game. Friday night in the semifinals of the Shrines Childern's Charleston Classic, Nickel dropped in a game-high 24 points, going 6-for-13 from behind the arc and finished 8-for-16 from the field in Vanderbilt's 76-60 win over Seton Hall to advance to Sunday's championship game against Drake.

Last season for Virginia Tech, he averaged 24 minutes a game and just under nine points for Mike Young while shooting 33% from behind the arc. Vanderbilt is his third school in as many years after he started his career at North Carolina averaging just six minutes for the Tar Heels in 2022-23 and 2.1 points a game.

Virginia Tech saw last season how good of a shooter Nickel is when he come off the bench and knock down some big shots for the Hokies. It's not surprising to see him doing at Vanderbilt, but what is frustrating for Tech fans is that he left because of the lack of funds in Blacksburg to keep the Harrisonburg native. He's not the first player to leave because of that and he won't be the last. Imagine him in a Hokies' uniform this season?