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Home > Bison Media Zone > McFeely: Grant Nelson will return to Alabama instead of declaring for NBA Draft
Podcast: Bison Media Zone
Episode:

McFeely: Grant Nelson will return to Alabama instead of declaring for NBA Draft
Category: Sports & Recreation
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2024-04-29 14:49:48
Description: FARGO — Grant Nelson will run it back at Alabama.

The Devils Lake, North Dakota, product and former North Dakota State star who transferred to the Crimson Tide last year announced via social media that he will return for his final collegiate season. That means he didn't file to be eligible for the NBA Draft.


That decision was due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday, April 27. The fact Nelson didn't say anything about the NBA had those in Tuscaloosa cranking up the speculation machine.



Multiple blogs and fan sites believed Nelson would return to Alabama because he hadn't publicly said he was going to the draft. The blog Bama Hammer wrote, "Does this mean Grant Nelson is back? Not necessarily, but it is more likely an indication of good news than bad news."



They were right.


In a video reel Nelson posted to Instagram, highlights of Nelson were sandwiched around a quick clip from the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street" in which Leonardo DiCaprio's character says, "I'm not leaving."



At the end of the video, the words "Grant is back" are posted.



Nelson transferred to the Crimson Tide after three seasons at NDSU, where he was an all-Summit League performer.



The move worked well, and it was generally believed he would be a one-and-done with the Crimson Tide before moving on to professional basketball. That type of thinking only grew after Nelson made a splash in the Crimson Tide's run to the Final Four in the NCAA tournament in March.


The athletic 6-foot-11 forward was the toast of the NCAA tournament for a day after scoring 24 points and grabbing 12 rebounds as the Crimson Tide eliminated top-seeded North Carolina 89-87 in a nationally televised game.



After a season that had its ups and downs, Nelson scored 19 points in the second half of that game and secured the victory with a blocked shot as the Tar Heels attempted a shot in the final seconds.



Alabama advanced to its first Final Four since 2004, losing to eventual national champion Connecticut in the semifinals.



Another reason it seemed likely this would be Nelson's final year of college ball: He participated in the NBA Draft combine a year ago and gained steam as a potential draft pick. He left NDSU last spring and went to Tuscaloosa with the idea of upping his game against high-level competition, showing his open-floor skills in coach Nate Oats' high-paced offense and collecting what is believed to a hefty six-figure sum in name, image and likeness (NIL) money.



Nelson started all 37 games for the Crimson Tide, averaging 11.9 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. His numbers were down almost across the board from his time at NDSU, which was to be expected moving from the Summit League to the Southeastern Conference,



After Alabama lost in the Final Four, Oats said he'd welcome Nelson back to Tuscaloosa with open arms if that's the decision Nelson made.


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