Grant Nelson is going to run it back at Alabama.
The former North Dakota State standout and native of Devils Lake, North Dakota, declared on social media that he will be returning for his last collegiate season after transferring to the Crimson Tide last year. In other words, he did not register to be selected in the NBA Draft.
On Saturday, April 27, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time, that decision was to be made. The fact that Nelson said nothing concerning the NBA caused many in Tuscaloosa to start speculating.
Since Nelson hadn’t made it clear that he was going to the draft, many blogs and fan sites assumed he would go back to Alabama.In the site Bama Hammer, someone asked, “Is Grant Nelson coming back? Though not always, it is more likely a sign of good news than bad.”
They were accurate.
Highlights of Nelson’s life were arranged in a video reel that he shared on Instagram, containing a brief scene from “The Wolf of Wall Street” when Leonardo DiCaprio’s character declares, “I’m not leaving.”
Upon the conclusion of the video, the phrase “Grant is back” appears.
After three seasons as an all-Summit League player at NDSU, Nelson transferred to the Crimson Tide.
The move was positively received, and it was widely assumed that he would play his final game for the Crimson Tide before becoming pro. After Nelson made a big impression during the Crimson Tide’s March NCAA tournament march to the Final Four, that way of thinking only intensified.
For a day, the 6-foot-11 forward was the talk of the NCAA tournament after leading the Crimson Tide to an 89-87 victory over top-seeded North Carolina with 24 points and 12 rebounds in a nationally broadcast game.
Nelson scored 19 points in the second half of that game, capping a season marked by ups and downs, and sealed the victory with a blocked shot as the Tar Heels tried a last-second shot.
Alabama made basketball to their first Final Four since 2004 but lost in the quarterfinals against Connecticut, the eventual national champion.
Another factor that suggested this might be Nelson’s last season in collegiate athletics was that he took part in the NBA selection combine the previous year and got traction as a possible selection choice. With the intention of improving against elite competition, showcasing his open-floor talents in coach Nate Oats’ fast-paced offense, and earning what is thought to be a sizeable six-figure amount in name, image, and likeness (NIL) money, he departed NDSU last spring and transferred to Tuscaloosa.
Nelson, who averaged 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game while starting all 37 games for the Crimson Tide. It was to be expected that his numbers would decline from his tenure at NDSU to the Southeastern Conference after switching from the Summit League.
Following Alabama’s defeat in the Final Four, Oats declared that if Nelson choose to return to Tuscaloosa, he would be cordially welcomed.
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