Charleston High School junior guard Tyler Oakley became the second Trojan in the span of a week to score career point number 1,000, becoming the 14th Trojan all-time to score 1,000 career points in Charleston boys’ basketball program history. 

Oakley scored 17 points in the team’s 58-45 loss to Paris Tuesday evening. He along with senior guard Luke Bonnstetter, who reached the milestone in the Trojans’ 54-53 loss to Marshall on Feb. 14, became the first duo to score their 1,000th career point in the span of a week in program history, according to head coach Brian Deadmond.

“It’s very crazy to have two kids hit it within [three] games of each other,” Deadmond said. “Kind of a rare occurrence.”

After the Marshall game, Oakley was 33 points away from the milestone. He was the team’s leading scorer with 18 points on Monday in the Trojans’ 70-51 loss to Mt. Zion to bring him to within 15 points. 

Oakley would score his 1,000th point with 3:24 remaining in the third quarter of the Paris game. After getting the ball near the free throw line, Oakey dribbled once to split through a Paris double team and used the backboard to bank his shot in from the side of the net. 

The game was paused momentarily to allow for Oakley’s milestone to be recognized. He and Deadmond posed in front of the Trojan bench with a banner while the entire arena gave him a standing ovation. 

“I just want to thank God, and thank my teammates,” Oakley said. “It’s been a long journey, three years.”

Oakley said he wasn’t focused on the milestone, and that he tried to treat it like any other game. 

“I tried not to think about it as much as possible,” Oakley said. “I just got to go out and play the game and try to help my team win.”

Unlike most boys’ basketball players, Oakley was given a chance to play with the varsity team his freshman year. He and Bonnstetter played on the same basketball team as early as second and third grade, according to Bonnstetter, and played with and against each other throughout middle school. 

In the 2022-23 season, Oakley and Bonnstetter were inserted into the starting lineup to fill in for injured players. Bonnstetter says the history between him and Oakley creates a strong link between them. 

“We’ve had great chemistry all year,” Bonnstetter said. “I think it’s just that competitiveness between us and also just the camaraderie we’ve had pretty much our whole lives.”

Oakley, who averages just over 17 points per game, would become Charleston’s all-time leading scorer if he continues that scoring pace next season. Currently, the record is held by Derek Landris, who scored 1,462 points during his Trojan career. 

“He’s got a whole other year to play and then two or three more games here this season,” Deadmond said. “So, it’s a really good chance to potentially set school records.”

Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at ghnewman@eiu.edu.