MAAC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

13. Tyler Nelson

There wasn’t a ton to celebrate at Fairfield this past decade, though they certainly weren’t a bad program by any means. Nelson was certainly a major part of their success, as this 6’3 combo guard from Bradford, Massachusetts put up some really impressive numbers for the Stags between 2014 and 2018.

Already a double-digit scorer as a freshman, he proved important in his second season, leading Fairfield to 19 wins with his improved play. As a junior, he averaged 19.5 points and 3.6 assists, hitting 39% of his 3-pointers and becoming the major threat in another winning season for these Stags. Nelson kept getting better, as he’d put up 22.2 points and 4.2 rebounds a game in his final year, including a number of 30-point games late in the year.

Becoming one of the MAAC’s best offensive players, Nelson earned First Team All-MAAC honors in those final two seasons and was 13th in the nation in points per game as a senior. His shooting from all over the court was efficient and he had decent numbers across the board. Fairfield did not have postseason success and couldn’t quite get past Iona in the league, but they had a truly effective piece in the backcourt when Nelson was in the lineup.