Family ties help form La Salle guard Josh Nickelberry’s love for the game

La Salle University guard Josh Nickelberry comes from a family of athletes.

His mother, Meredith McKinney, and stepmother, Jessie, were former athletes and are Army veterans. In addition, his father, Gerald Nickelberry, was an All-American linebacker at Northern Illinois, where he finished sixth in career tackles (419).

“He really just taught me how to work hard from a really, really young age — getting up early in the morning, putting in the extra work when others aren’t working,” Nickelberry said of his father. “So he told me that at a really young age, and I brought that with me in my career.”

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Growing up, Nickelberry, the Explorers’ second-leading scorer, played basketball and football but dropped the latter — his father’s love — at age 10 to forge his own path in basketball.

“I started getting recruited in my eighth-grade year,” said Nickelberry, who studies sports broadcasting. “So once I [saw] I started getting looks, I got my first offer in ninth grade. It just made me go even harder.”

He started playing AAU for Team Loaded North Carolina in eighth and ninth grade, followed by Game Elite Gold in Atlanta in 10th and 11th grade. A car ride could take six hours. A train ride could range between eight to 10 hours. A plane ride? Less than two hours.

“It was a big commitment, but the team was really good,” Nickelberry said. “I just loved the coach. He allowed me to play my game. He coached me hard. He got me looks from college coaches and stuff. So I just had to do my part with traveling, getting down to practice every weekend, and stuff like that. It was a big jump. It was a big jump, but it was definitely worth it.”

He balanced club play with high school ball at Northwood Temple during his eighth-grade and freshman years, and again during his junior and senior year. In between, Nickelberry played a year at Trinity Christian with other college prospects. He played alongside Greg Gantt of North Carolina State and Joey Baker of Michigan, among others, and remains in contact with them.

“Those are a few guys I’ve been playing with since I was in fifth grade. ... So, being able to play with all high-level players and them all be on the same team that one year, it was great,” he said. “We went to state, and we ended up losing the state championship. But it was a great season. So then after that, I just decided to jump back to my own lane.”

Nickelberry’s lane capped at 2,904 points, making him the second-leading all-time scorer in North Carolina high school basketball history. It still stands today. Unaware of the fact that he was inching close, Nickelberry was surprised when his father mentioned it.

“For us, it was a crazy time. I just put in a lot of work, and it showed,” he said. “It was really big for me.”

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In the recruiting process, North Carolina was Nickelberry’s “crystal ball.” Early in his career, two coaches at Xavier came to look at an older player but took an interest in Nickelberry. Later in high school, the two coaches — Chris Mack and Mike Pegues — left for Louisville, and Nickelberry eventually chose the ACC school. He also considered North Carolina, N.C. State, Michigan, and Connecticut.

Nickelberry spent his freshman and sophomore years as a Cardinal, averaging 2.8 points and 13.2 minutes per game in his second season when he was injured. In the summer before his sophomore season, he had cartilage break off his left knee and on the side of his kneecap. He played on the knee most of the year, causing it to grow worse. At the end of the season, Nickelberry broke off more cartilage behind his kneecap and needed a second surgery.

He felt he needed a new start because of the injury and, in his words, “a lot of stuff wasn’t really working out.”

Josh reached out to another sports-involved family member — Kevin Nickelberry — who is the associate head coach at Georgetown. Kevin knows former La Salle head coach Ashley Howard, and they were able to coordinate a smooth transfer for Josh.

But not too smoothly, as Nickelberry still was recovering from his injury and arrived on W. Olney Avenue without the ability to run. His debut was the first day of official practice, as he missed all the summer workouts in preparation for the season.

“It was tough when I first got here. I couldn’t compete with the team,” he said. “I just had to keep working and keep working, knowing that I’ll be back on the court one day and that’s what really kept me going.”

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In his junior year, Nickelberry averaged 11.2 points and scored a career-high 28 points in a win over Holy Cross. The step-back is a signature of his and has helped him earn the A-10 rank of 24th in scoring as well.

La Salle is 5-7, but Nickelberry believes the Explorers have a team that can surprise a lot of people.

“We fell really short last year,” Nickelberry said. “Personally, I just want to continue to compete and be a leader for my team, keep playing well, and keep winning games. So it’s not really even about me, it’s about winning as a team. It’s my last year, so we’re trying to win, trying to go out with a bang for sure.”