When Adrian Nelson committed to play this past season at Youngstown State, the 6-foot-8 forward wanted to put up his best campaign in his fifth and final year in college.
He did just that.
Nelson joined the Penguins after previously playing four seasons at Northern Kentucky. He remained in the Horizon League with the move and committed to head coach Jerrod Calhoun, who had recruited him out of high school at Pickerington Central in Ohio.
He was named to the All-Horizon League third team after averaging a career-high 13.5 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.1 assists. He recorded the most rebounds (318) by a Penguin since the 1991-92 season and ranked 28th in the country in double-doubles (13).
With Nelson in the fold, the program reached new heights.
Youngstown State won the regular-season conference championship for the first time after tying the program record for most wins in a season (24). It set the school record for most conference wins (15) and advanced to the NIT for the first time.
Congratulations to Dwayne Cohill – All-Horizon League First-Team – Adrian Nelson and junior Brandon Rush – All-Horizon League Third-Team – and John Lovelace, Jr. – Horizon League All-Freshman Team – on earning #HLMBB postseason accolades
đź““:https://t.co/ykxYKCc2PC#GoGuins pic.twitter.com/mlDVQ2YnbF
— YSU Men's Basketball (@YSUMensHoops) February 27, 2023
Nelson leaves college with a decorated resume.
He finished his career with 1,091 points and 1,047 rebounds in 148 total appearances at Northern Kentucky and Youngstown State. He won the conference tournament championship twice at Northern Kentucky and appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
Now, Nelson is looking to take the next step in his basketball career.
He has been training for the NBA draft with other prospects at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas, Nevada. He is making strides each day in his development and believes his time with the training staff at Impact Basketball has helped transform his game.
Rookie Wire caught up with Nelson this week to discuss his college career, training with Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert, preparing for the NBA draft and more.
Note:Â This interview was edited for clarity