The NCAA Basketball transfer portal has had a number of quality mid-major players leave. That includes a few Conference Player of the Year guys such as Aaron Estrada, Steele Venters, Josh Cohen, Jordan Minor, Rayj Dennis, Tylor Perry, Daniss Jenkins, and even Max Abmas. But the Summit League Player of the Year (Abmas) may not have even been the best player from a pro=perspective, as all eyes were on Grant Nelson.
The 6’10 and 220-pound big man from Devils Lake, North Dakota has slowly developed over the past three years at North Dakota State. Grant had a breakout year as a junior, leading the Bison with 17.9 ppg, 9.3 rpg, and 2.1 apg on 51% shooting from the field and 27% from three-point range.
Nelson was also on the all-defense team in the Summit League and had a number of big games last season. He had 20 points and 22 rebounds against South Dakota State in the conference tournament, along with three games of at least 30 points, with one being a career-high 36 points on 13/20 shooting against North Dakota. He had 17 points in the season-opener against Arkansas to prove that he can compete against power conference teams.
That’s likely where he’ll ultimately end up, now that he has reportedly entered the transfer portal. He can play both frontcourt positions but likely is best as a center. He’s currently in the NBA Draft process and could ultimately stay but if not, here’s a list of 10 programs that could be in the mix for Grant’s services.