Buffalo High-Scoring Record Is Finally Broken

It’s admittingly been a while since the Buffalo sports world has mentioned the name Christian Laettner. 

The former basketball star became a household name in the early 1990’s when he helped Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke Blue Devils win two national titles, cementing his status as one of the best college basketball players in history. (Who could forget the iconic buzzer-beating shot against Kentucky in the NCAA tournament?)

Laettner went on to represent the U.S. as a member of the 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” in Barcelona, followed by 13 seasons in the NBA. However, he was on our radar here in Western New York long before he made national headlines. 

Christian Laettner Is From Western New York

The now 54-year-old Laettner was born and raised in Angola, New York, and attended high school at the Nichols School in Buffalo, New York. While playing for the Nichols Vikings men's basketball team, he won two state championships and scored 2,066 points - a record that remained untouched for over 35 years. 

That is, until Saturday. 

Christian Laettner’s Scoring Record Finally Broken

It took 36 years, but Laettner’s high-scoring record was finally broken over the weekend. The all-time scoring record now belongs to Nicholas’ junior Jakye Rainey, who currently stands at 2,074 points (and counting). 

Ironically, in the Vikings 88-54 win against St. Francis High School of Hamburg, Rainey scored 36 points - a perfect sendoff to Lattener’s 36 year unbroken record. 

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Congrats, Jakye!