UC Merced’s Nelson makes most of final chance in college basketball

Around this time a year ago, Reggie Nelson pondered if he was meant to play college basketball.

The now 23-year-old former Merced High School star took a long, winding path to UC Merced. And just when it appeared Nelson would finally get to show what he could do on the court, injury robbed him of another season.

After three years out of the sport he loved, a hip ailment that baffled doctors and cost Nelson all but six games of his junior season almost proved too much.

“Last year was definitely tough for me,” Nelson said. “I played at Modesto (Junior College) my freshman year, and then the next year coach (Paul) Brogan told me he wanted me to redshirt, but not practice. That didn’t make a lot of sense to me, so I transferred to (College of the Sequoias) thinking I’d get a chance to play there. That never really worked out, so I took a year off of basketball to save some money, take care of some personal things in my life and finish up my schooling at the JC level.

“When the opportunity to play at UC Merced came up, I was pretty excited. My education was the most important thing, but I still loved basketball. So to get the opportunity to play college ball while getting a great education was perfect.

“To be out of the game so long and then to get back for just a couple games because of an injury was brutal. I began to question if God actually wanted me to play college ball.”

Bobcats coach Kevin Pham said that pain has served as a driving force for Nelson in his senior campaign. From his quiet, steady leadership in games to his unmatched work ethic in practice, Nelson is making the most of his final season – which he hopes to extend as No. 4 UC Merced prepares to play top-seeded Cal Maritime in the semifinals of the California Pacific Conference Tournament on Saturday. The tip is set for 5:30 p.m. in Vallejo. Two wins would secure the Bobcats’ first-ever automatic bid into the NAIA Tournament.

“Reggie is a guy that knows the end of his career is approaching, and he’s doing everything possible to make the most of that time,” said Pham, whose team finished the regular season 9-13. “One of the first things I did when I was hired as the men’s coach last summer was sit down with him and map out my vision and how I saw him fitting in it. We were a team that was picked to finish dead last, and one of the reasons we’ve been so successful is Reggie and our other seniors, Ryan (Edwards) and Michael (Pierick), bought into the system so quickly. It made everything that much smoother for the other guys.”

Nelson has started 21 of UCM’s 22 games, averaging a team-high 31 minutes. His nine points per game ranks third on the team. He leads the Bobcats with 22 steals, and his 3.83 assists per game rank third in the conference.

“He’s definitely a very versatile player,” Pham said. “We use a lot of ball screens to allow him to be creative. He’s fully capable of scoring a lot of points, but he’s such a team player; one of the proudest stats for him is that he’s among the conference leaders in assists.

“It’s a system that he fits into very well and that he’s thrived in.”

Merced hopes that trend continues against the Keelhaulers (20-9). The teams split the season series, with each school winning at home. Maritime cruised to a 71-46 win on Sunday in their last meeting.

The Bobcats don’t put much stock in the performance after coming off of an emotional Cal Pac tournament-clinching victory over Embry-Riddle the day before. With his team focused and fresh, Pham is expecting a much more competitive showing.

“Right now the goal is to just keep my career going for as long as I can,” Nelson said. “We’ve already proven we can beat Maritime. We know what we need to do to be successful. We just have to do it.

“Winning the Cal Pac tournament and getting to play in the NAIA Tournament would be a dream come true. I haven’t really won anything since winning the (Central California Conference) my senior year in high school, so I feel like I’m due.

“It’s funny, because I’ve spent most of my life in Merced, so growing up the plan was always to get out and see the world. I never even considered going to UC Merced because of it. After a long road back here, I have a new appreciation for it. I’m a psychology major, and I think I’m even going to get into counseling at the local high schools to try to help kids avoid some of the traps I fell into while getting my college education.”

Cal Pac Women’s Tournament

The defending champion UC Merced women’s basketball team will be the heavy favorites in Sunday’s semifinals after completing an undefeated regular season and earning the tourney’s top seed. The Bobcats will square off against No. 4 La Sierra in a 2 p.m. tilt. The winner will play in Tuesday’s championship game with an automatic bid to the NAIA Tournament on the line.

The Bobcats (9-14) are led by all-time leading scorer Shelby Howard (14.5 points per game) and conference MVP candidate Courtney Danna (12.3 points, 3.61 assists and 2.21 steals per game).

This story was originally published February 26, 2016 at 5:26 PM with the headline "UC Merced’s Nelson makes most of final chance in college basketball."