Central Michigan University Athletics
Kevin Nelson Profile
12/8/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2004
by Fred Stabley Jr.
Sports Information Director
Kevin Nelson grew up wanting to be a professional golfer.
He used to play a lot of golf with his father, Rex, and he was a standout member of the Detroit Country Day High School golf team, earning letters as a sophomore and junior.
However, something happened to his golf career in the summer before his senior year at DCD.
"I committed to Central Michigan University to play basketball," Nelson explained. "I figured I better put all of my time and effort into basketball. I figured I could play all the golf I wanted after college."
That proved to be a winning decision for both Nelson and the Chippewa basketball program.
"K Nel," as he's known to friends, came to CMU just in time to take part in the Chippewas' Mid-American Conference championship run and first-round NCAA win over Creighton in 2002-03. He saw action in 31 games as a reserve, once scoring a team-high 13 points at DePaul.
The personal finance major moved into the starting lineup in 2003-04 and averaged 12.3 points per game. He knocked down 75 three-pointers, third most ever in a CMU season.
Nelson still lists golf as one of his hobbies, but the sport really took a back seat this past summer.
"I've always worked hard on basketball during the summer but it was more than ever last summer," Nelson said. "I spent a lot more time in the weight room as well as working on my basketball skills."
The physical changes are immediately noticeable as Nelson has added a solid 15 pounds. To his game, Kevin worked hard on his driving skills ... to the hoop, that is.
Nelson is encouraged by what he's seen of this year's Chippewa team.
"We're playing together and we're playing hard," he said. "When we do that, good things happen. Plus, we're playing without Sefton Barrett (currently sidelined with an injury). I think we're going to be a very good team by January."
Nelson is the fourth product of Detroit Country Day to come to CMU in the Jay Smith era. He followed Jason and David Webber, and Mike Manciel.
"It definitely had an influence on my decision," Nelson said. "I talked a lot to them about their experiences at CMU, and I liked what I heard."
While Nelson's immediate plans are to "win basketball games at CMU," his long-range goals are to use his college degree to catapult himself into a career in business as an entrepreneur.
