Prospect Update: Tyrese Nickelson (2019)

Area JuCos and some prep schools have been targeting Waterloo East senior Tyrese Nickelson of late. 

The 6-foot-1 senior is torching opponents this season, and currently leads Class 4A with 33.2 points per game. The ultimate goal for Nickelson is , of course, to play Division I hoops. He says playing at a Juco or prep school first, though, is a likely scenario.

“Dang near every JuCo in Iowa has contacted me, and prep schools have been talking to me,” said Nickelson.

“I think if I go JuCo, I'd red-shirt for a year and play the second year, so that if I go D1 I can play three years.”

He added: “If I can go to prep school for one year, and then go D1 after that, that's kind of what I want to do and hope to do.”

Nickelson has always been a dynamic scorer. He averaged 24.8 points in 10 games played as a sophomore. And 21.5 points per game as a junior. This season, after a summer of playing on the adidas Gold Gauntlet with the Iowa Barnstormers, Nickelson has taken his game up a notch.

“I think I've gotten stronger and my shot has gotten a lot better,” he said. “I've gotten better with ball-control and with my pull-up jumper.”

He was one of the best shooters, percentage-wise, on the adidas Gold Gauntlet this past summer. And says playing against that top-level competition during the offseason, has made things easier for him this high school season.

“Seeing that competition, it makes you a better player, just playing against the best players in the country,” said Nickelson, who recently scored 47 points against Cedar Rapids Kennedy.

“Playing against top people in the county and doing good against them, and now I'm playing against guys that aren't as athletic and fast and I think I'm taking advantage of that.”

Nickelson's success has helped propel his Trojans to some team success, too, they've started out 4-1 this season. And Nickelson says it's no fluke.

“My role is to be more of a leader, the offense basically runs through me. And I think we're one of the best teams in the state this year,” said Nickelson. “And if I can lead my guys and get them to believe that, then we can go far this year.”