Grant Nelson (basketball)

Grant Nelson
No. 2 – Alabama Crimson Tide
PositionPower forward
LeagueSoutheastern Conference
Personal information
Born (2002-03-18) March 18, 2002 (age 22)
Devils Lake, North Dakota, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High schoolDevils Lake
(Devils Lake, North Dakota)
College
Career highlights and awards

Grant Nelson (born March 18, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the Alabama Crimson Tide of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He previously played for the North Dakota State Bison.

Early life and high school career

Nelson grew up in Devils Lake, North Dakota and attended Devils Lake High School.[1] He played mostly on the junior varsity team as a freshman and sophomore.[2] Nelson averaged 16.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5.1 blocks per game and was named second team All-State during his junior season.[3] He was named North Dakota Mr. Basketball as a senior after averaging 25 points, 18 rebounds, and 5.7 blocks per game.[4] Nelson committed to playing college basketball for North Dakota State over offers from North Dakota and Division II programs Northern State, University of Mary, Minot State, and Minnesota State-Moorhead.[5]

College career

Nelson played in all 27 of NDSU's games, with five starts as a freshman and was named the Summit League Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 6.3 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.[6] He became a starter as a sophomore and averaged 11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.[7][8] During Nelson's junior season, a highlight reel of his play went viral in early January 2023.[9] As a junior, Grant averaged 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, as well as shooting 52.1% from the field.[10] These stats also earned him his first All-Summit First Team and All-Summit Defensive Team honors.[11]

Following the 2022–23 season, Nelson explored his options in the 2023 NBA draft but ultimately withdrew to return to college for his senior season. On June 12, 2023, he transferred to Alabama after spending three seasons at North Dakota State.[12] Nelson averaged 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. He announced he was returning for his final season at Alabama.[13]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2020–21 North Dakota State 27 5 20.9 .471 .356 .711 3.7 .6 .2 .9 6.3
2021–22 North Dakota State 29 21 25.8 .508 .322 .733 4.9 1.1 .2 1.3 11.6
2022–23 North Dakota State 30 30 30.7 .521 .269 .720 9.3 2.1 .8 1.7 17.9
Career 86 56 26.0 .508 .307 .722 6.0 1.3 .4 1.3 12.1

References

  1. ^ Davis, Seth (February 22, 2023). "The Unicorn Era: Victor Wembanyama heads a coming stampede of skilled big men". The Athletic. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  2. ^ Zastrow, Nate (June 20, 2019). "Bison Hoops Offers Two Big Men". 247Sports. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  3. ^ "Devils Lake's Grant Nelson standing out above the basketball crowd". Grand Forks Herald. December 24, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  4. ^ "Devils Lake's Nelson named North Dakota Mr. Basketball". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. March 27, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  5. ^ "Devils Lake's Grant Nelson to play college basketball at NDSU". Grand Forks Herald. July 8, 2019. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "With Grant Nelson, Bison men have a unique player to throw at opposing teams". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. October 31, 2021. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  7. ^ "Bison men's basketball players Cook, Harden-Hayes enter the transfer portal". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. March 14, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  8. ^ "NBA Draft Scouting Report: North Dakota State's Grant Nelson". SI.com. February 25, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  9. ^ "McFeely: Thanks in part to viral video, NBA steam begins for Bison's Grant Nelson". The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead. January 13, 2023. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
  10. ^ "Grant Nelson Stats, News, Bio". espn.com. ESPN. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  11. ^ "ORU's Abmas nets second #SummitMBB Player of the Year Award". thesummitleague.org. The Summit League. March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  12. ^ "North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson commits to Alabama: What Tide are getting in big man". theathletic.com. The Athletic. June 12, 2023. Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  13. ^ Byler, Blake (April 29, 2024). "Grant Nelson Returning to Alabama Basketball for Final Season". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 14, 2024.