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

21. Grant Nelson

Nelson is a 6’10 forward originally from Devils Lake, North Dakota. His collegiate career got started in his home state, heading to Fargo to play at North Dakota State. Across these past three seasons, he developed into a major factor for the Bison, turning into quite the incredible performer by his junior year.

He put up decent numbers off the bench as a freshman before earning plenty of starts and averaging 11.6 points a game as a sophomore. With him in the rotation, the Bison finished Top 3 in the Summit in each of these last three seasons. As a junior, Nelson was up to 17.9 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. He had six straight 20-point games near the end of the season, including a 20-point, 22-rebound effort against South Dakota State in the Summit League Tournament. He also had multiple 35-point efforts earlier in conference play.

For that fantastic junior year, Nelson was named First Team All-Summit and to the league’s All-Defense team. He led the conference in rebounding, was one of the best shot-blockers, and finished 5th in total points. One of the best interior offensive players, Nelson asserted himself as a dynamic playmaker, especially with that run late in the year. His time with the Bison was sweet, but he’ll be on a much bigger stage next year, as he transferred to Alabama in the SEC.