Nicknames for high school basketball players aren't quite as common today as they were back in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Back then, it wasn't uncommon to see a Butch, Sonny or Junior on a roster.
But there were other nicknames that were much more unique. Here's a look at some of the origins of those classic monikers along plus a modern player sure to be remembered as much for his nickname as his on-court game.
Football Hall of Famer Edgerrin James gave his son Edgerrin James Jr. – in action here at the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic in January – the nickname "Jizzle." (Photo: Parker Waters)
Churchland (Portsmouth, Va.), 1954James got his nickname because he was a prolific scorer
who just didn't look like a great player. In the
Progress Index in March
of 1954, one coach described James as awkward and "he doesn't look like
a ballplayer." The same coach, however, also said, "I wish I had five
players like him." James has
the second highest single-game point total in Virginia high school
history with 83.
Henry "Po Devil" Hart
Eufaula (Ala.), 1955One
of the greatest players in the history of the University of Auburn,
Hart was regularly listed in the newspapers with his nickname "Po
Devil." A member of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, Hart got his
nickname when he showed up to his first practice at Eufaula and was much
scrawnier than the other players.
Mike "The Knife" Vacher
Chamberlain (Tampa, Fla.), 1966Because
he was a very quick guard who sliced up the defense while cutting to the basket, it would be very easy to conclude that Vacher got his
nickname for those types of athletic qualifies. Except that he didn't.
In February, Vacher was cutting hamburger meat with a butcher knife when
the knife slipped and pierced his left hand. The injury was bad enough
to require a trip to the doctor as well as to miss a few games. Vacher
did eventually return, however, and broke a city record in the process.
He scored 59 points against Winter Haven – breaking Lou Piniella's record
of 57 points – and
Tampa Times mentioned his new nickname in the story,
Mike the Knife.
Ian "The Rifleman" Morrison
St. Petersburg (Fla.), 1963A
Parade All-American along with the likes of Lew Alcindor of Power
Memorial in 1963, Morrison was among the leading scorers in the nation
with an average of 36 points per game. While "The Rifleman" with Chuck
Connor was a popular TV show in the early 1960s, Morrison actually
earned his nickname for his sharpshooting skills from the outside. He
scored over 50 points four times in his career with a high of 68.
James "Popcorn" George
Leto (Tampa, Fla.), 1977George
was a 6-foot-8 scoring machine at Leto in 1977, averaging 24 points per
game while drawing double- and triple-teams. George rarely went by his
first name, going instead by "Popcorn." He got the nickname in his
youth. "My hair used to be all knotty," George told the
Tampa Times. "I
guess that's how it got started. It looked like there was popcorn in
it."
E.J. "Jizzle" James
Olympia (Orlando, Fla.), 2023The son of NFL Hall of Fame running back Edgerrin James, Jizzle is one of the top point guards in the Class of 2023 and he averaged 23 points per game at Olympia. With the same first name as his father, he got the nickname "Jizzle" from his dad so he had something to call his son other than Edgerrin as he was growing up.
Rodd "Tingle Fingers" Knotts
Fort Ashby, now Frankfort (Ridgeley, W.Va.), 1968One of the top scorers in West Virginia in 1968, "Tingle Fingers" was a hot shooter who posted 64 points in one game and 53 points in another.
William "Stovepipe" Carr
Booker T. Washington (Norfolk, Va.), 1953Carr was one of the top players in the segregated Virginia Interscholastic Athletic League, leading Booker T. Washington to the state tournament while averaging over 24 points per game. Although it is not known why he earned the nickname "Stovepipe," it's possible he earned the nickname for his shooting ability since stovepipes were used to make cannons in the Civil War.
Cedrick "Superman" Hensley
Heritage Christian Academy (Haslet, Texas), 2001Named "Superman" prior to his outing in mid-January of 2001, Hensley's nickname proved prophetic as he scored 101 points in a game against Banff Christian. Since he was going in for scheduled surgery after the Banff matchup, Hensley said he wanted to make an extra contribution to his team's efforts before going in for the procedure. Hensley ended up with 50 points by halftime and the team decided to go for 100 in the second half.
Jimmy "Dead Shot" Mitchell
South Dakota School for the Deaf (Sioux Falls, S.D.), 1954Earning his nickname for being such an accurate shot, Mitchell averaged over 50 percent from the floor in an era where that type of performance was rare. He set a national record for deaf high school players with 27.2 points per game in 1954. He was also named the national deaf player of the year.
Hubert "Goose" Ausbie
Douglass (Oklahoma City, Okla.), 1956One of the top players in Oklahoma history, Ausbie once scored 70 points in a game. Known as "Goose" throughout his youth, he had to change his name to "Geese" when he joined the Harlem Globetrotters since the team already had a "Goose" in former team leader Reece "Goose" Tatum.
Clarence "Bevo" Francis
Wellsville (Ohio), 1952One of the most prolific scorers in small college basketball history, Francis had games of 116 and 113 points while at Rio Grande. He was also a standout in high school at Wellsville, averaging 32 points per game and earning all-state honors. His dad was named "Bevo" because that was the name of his favorite beer. Clarence went by "Little Beve" as a child and "Bevo" as he got older.
Ali "The Greatest" Jones
Valley Park (Mo.), 1989According to his mother, Ali was named after two great warriors – Muhammad Ali (who called himself "The Greatest") and Jomo Kenyatta (president of Kenya). He had a great season as a sophomore in Missouri as he averaged 24 points per game with a high of 49.
Jack "The Shot" Foley
Assumption (Worcester, Mass.), 1958One of the all-time great scorers in the state of Massachusetts, the Worcester star led the nation in scoring in 1958 while at Assumption and had a state record 920 points. Known for scoring on long shots, Foley also earned the nickname "The Shot" because of his work ethic that included over 1,000 shots during a practice. Foley went on to star at Holy Cross.
Tyrone "Mr. Wonderful" Collins
Kennedy (Paterson, N.J.), 1969The first mention of Collins as Mr. Wonderful came in a story following his 60-point performance against Lyndhurst. The newspaper article compared Collins' performance to that of the Passaic "Wonder Teams" of the 1920s. Dubbing Collins "Mr. Wonderful," the
Paterson News regularly called Collins "Mr. Wonderful" and put it in the headlines after his big outings.
