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When Tyler Nickel thinks of home, he can’t help but think of those that came before him, those who aren’t known outside of Harrisonburg, Virginia, but could have been.
All of those former star athletes have a common theme in Nickel’s mind; the reason they didn’t make it wasn’t that they lacked gifts. It was something else. For all of them, it was something that didn’t have much to do with basketball. It was something darker than that.
Nickel watched as athlete after athlete failed to fulfill their potential because of extenuating circumstances, and he was intent on making sure that his story ended differently. He was intent on making sure that he did act in a way that made that possible.
“We don't really have a ton of success stories, especially not in sports or anything like that,” Nickel told Vandy on SI during the season. “So, just being somebody that kids in sports back home can look up to and say ‘he can do it, why can’t I do it.’ That means everything to me.”
And, all these years later, Nickel can confidently say that his story has ended differently. He was taken with the No. 47 pick in the NBA Draft by the New York Knicks on Wednesday in a moment for all of Harrisonburg to see.
Nickel was given natural gifts like a 6-foot-7 frame and an athletic profile that allowed him to compete with SEC athletes, but his ascension has significantly more to do with his habits and the unique mindset he possessed.
When he was young, Nickel’s parents often pushed him to be himself–no matter what that required of him. They told him that he had to focus on being one-of-one, and he did. Nickel’s personality doesn’t fit into any sort of box and it’s often misconstrued, but he’s never wavered from expressing himself authentically, in a way that’s true to his character. The on-the-record version of Nickel is as close to the off-the-record version of him as anyone that’s come through Vanderbilt’s program in recent memory. Say what you will about him, but Nickel doesn’t change for anyone.
“He’s never wavered,” Vanderbilt big man Jalen Washington–who says Nickel is his “best friend”– said in regard to Nickel’s willingness to show his personality. “That’s probably what I admire the most.”
If Nickel cared what others thought, it could’ve held him back when he arrived at Vanderbilt as a junior. He was never going to let that happen, though.
External perception had soured on Nickel at that point. He was associated with all the negative stereotypes that follow players around in modern college athletics as a result of being on his third school in three years. The perception was that his choice to commit to Vanderbilt didn’t center around winning as much as it did taking a quick payday.
Nickel believed in himself and believed that Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington was on to something, though, so he bet on it. Two years later, he’s one of the best 3-point shooters in program history, has been a starter on two NCAA Tournament teams, finished his career with a 27-6 record at home and is the first NBA Draft pick of the Byington era.
As a result, Nickel refers to Vanderbilt as his college home despite his stops at North Carolina and Virginia Tech. Nickel said he’s become a better person for coming to Nashville and being around the type of people that he’s consistently around. When Nickel talks about Vanderbilt, he talks about Nashville and the different perspectives on life that he’s come across while exploring it.
There’s no way that he came across someone that believed in themselves as much as he did, though, and that’s why his name flashed across the television screen on Wednesday night. That’s why he believes that Wednesday night won’t be the last notable moment in his NBA career.
“Where I kind of like grew up,
dude, if you didn't believe in yourself to get to a certain level, it wasn't gonna happen,” Nickel said during the season. “You kind of have to have almost, to other people, a delusional sense of confidence. I trust myself so much just because of my work.”
On the inside of his left forearm, Nickel has the word anomaly tattooed in black ink. He got the tattoo–which was his first one–when he was 16 years old. He says he was compelled to get it because he felt different than everyone else in the way he talked, acted and moved. Nickel says he relates heavily to the NBA Youngboy song Anomaly–which he says also played into his decision to get the tattoo.
In regard to his hometown, Nickel should be considered one. Particularly after Wednesday night.
That means something to him, but he hopes it’s not that way forever. Nickel believes that his story is an example that someone from his town can do whatever they want athletically if they put their head down and work at it.
Across from the anomaly tattoo is an inscription that reads VA to denote that he’s a “Virginia kid.” The letters coincide with Nickel’s tattoo that features a crown with the No. 5 on it. Nickel says the tattoo indicates that he’s the “king of my city”–or the most successful from the city.
It appears as if the tattoo was foreboding.
And, as a result Nickel's tattoo has a chance to be down his arm from the edge of NBA jerseys on a nightly basis. Nothing is guaranteed for him as a second-round draft pick, but the way he carries himself will be a staple of his career. And, because of that, he always has a chance to make an impact as an NBA player.
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Joey Dwyer is the lead writer on Vanderbilt Commodores On SI. He found his first love in college sports at nearby Lipscomb University and decided to make a career of telling its best stories. He got his start doing a Notre Dame basketball podcast from his basement as a 14-year-old during COVID and has since aimed to make that 14-year-old proud. Dwyer has covered Vanderbilt sports for three years and previously worked for 247 Sports and Rivals. He contributes to Seth Davis' Hoops HQ, Basket Under Review and Mainstreet Nashville.
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