Alabama officially lands North Dakota State star Grant Nelson
By WVUA 23 Sports Reporter Nathan Brown
Following one of the most successful seasons in program history, the Alabama Crimson Tide Men’s Basketball team looks poised to retool and not rebuild. A key piece of the Tide’s plan to restock the roster is North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson. According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium Sports, Nelson’s long-rumored commitment to Alabama is official.
North Dakota State transfer Grant Nelson makes it official, and tells me that he will transfer to Alabama.
Nelson had gone through the NBA Draft process before withdrawing prior to the deadline.
The 6-11 senior averaged 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds last season for the Bison.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 28, 2023
The versatile 6-foot-11 forward gives the Crimson Tide one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal. Last month, Nelson withdrew his name from the NBA Draft pool and immediately entered his name into the NCAA transfer portal. His two finalists were SEC-rivals Alabama and Arkansas.
While length was one of the Crimson Tide’s greatest strength last season, the departures of Brandon Miller, Noah Clowney, Noah Gurley and Charles Bediako left the frontcourt depleted. Nelson will be able to immediately impact the Alabama lineup with his scoring, length and offensive playmaking.
Nelson averaged nearly 18 points and nine rebounds, shooting 52% from the field for the Bison last season, earning him a First-Team All-Summit League selection.
With the 6-foot-9 four-star prospect Jarin Stevenson’s announcement last month to reclassify and join the Crimson Tide this season, Nate Oats has now added some much-needed depth to fill out his roster this season.
Nelson is now the third prospect Alabama has landed from the transfer portal joining, two-time Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Year, Hofstra guard Aaron Estrada, and CSU Fullerton guard Latrell Wrightsell Jr. who earned All- Big West honors last year.
Following the shocking departure of SEC co-Sixth Man of the Year guard Jahvon Quinerly, Alabama has two scholarships available to complete its roster for the upcoming season.
The addition of Nelson provides a major win for the Crimson Tide on the recruiting trail, beating out SEC rival Arkansas Razorbacks for the highly touted forward from up north. Nelson will likely be a focal point of an Alabama offense that aims to defend both a regular season and postseason SEC Championship.
