So far, so great.
Evan Nelson is having the time of his life as an Arizona Wildcat — something he never thought possible while staring at Salpointe Catholic High School a couple of miles up the road.
Nelson didn’t drive straight down Campbell Avenue to get to McKale Center. He took a circuitous route that included a pandemic-driven gap year, four years at Harvard and a missed season because of injury.
Now that he’s here, Nelson’s one-time dream has become a reality. Now it’s about finding his role on a talent-laden team while continuing to pursue his education.
Nelson earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology at Harvard. He’s pursuing a master’s in Sports and Recreation Leadership at the UA. He’d like to play professionally. He’s also interested in coaching.
But first things first: One more year of college basketball.
Arizona men's basketball player Evan Nelson describes his unusual path back to his hometown school while speaking to the media at McKale Center on Friday.
Tommy Lloyd and his staff knew the team needed a veteran point guard who could back up and push returning starter Jaden Bradley. Nelson fit that mold. Assistant coach TJ Benson made first contact after Nelson entered the transfer portal. The recruitment was swift.
“It was really a quick process,” Nelson said, “because I knew this was where I wanted to be.”
Nelson, who helped Salpointe win a state championship in 2020, reintroduced himself to the Tucson media last week. He discussed his return home, how he balances school and basketball, and other topics. The conversation has been lightly edited.
You’ve had a nonlinear journey to get to this point. How would you describe what that’s been like?
A: “Man, I was thinking about that the other day. You’re right. It’s off the beaten path. But I think it just shows people that there’s not one way to get where you want to go.
“Coming out of high school, going to Harvard, playing out there, getting injured and then finding my way back here — I never would have thought it was happening if you had asked me four, five years ago. I think it just shows that there’s not one way to achieve your goals. There’s multiple roads, multiple paths. If you just keep working every day, you can make it happen.”
Arizona men's basketball player Evan Nelson speaks to the media at McKale Center on Friday.
What was it like balancing an Ivy League education while still playing basketball? And what do you think you’ll be able to bring here to help you manage that and fit into the culture?
A: “It was a lot, coming out of high school and dealing with that heavy course load and then having to balance basketball on top of that. You figure it out very quickly that you gotta sleep, you gotta do your homework and then you gotta either socialize or spend your time doing whatever it is you need to do to be the best you can be on the basketball court. So it was a learning process. But once you get used to it, you put systems in place, that stuff starts to take care of itself. (Harvard) coach (Tommy) Amaker and his staff (do) a great job of getting guys acclimated to that.
“As far as what I think it could bring me here at Arizona, I don’t think anything will really change for me. I want to push myself in the classroom. It’s funny. People have said that I came here because it’s the ‘Harvard of the West.’ But I think as far as in the basketball world and in the sports world, nobody has an alumni network like Arizona. You see where guys have been, not only in the NBA, but just in the professional sports world and broadcasting.
Evan Nelson, speaking to the media at McKale Center on Aug. 1, said he already has had his 'Welcome to Arizona' moment in practice.
“So, yeah, I’m gonna push myself and be the best player I can be on the court. I’m also gonna learn a lot basketball-wise and try to make the most I can be of being a Wildcat.”
A lot of players from Tucson have played for Arizona, but not many have been rotation players. Is that something you feel you’ve already attained, or is it something you feel like you have to work for and earn?
A: “I’m going to definitely have to work for it. We’ve got a star-studded class of freshmen and returners, so every day it’s a grind to try to earn those minutes. Given that, Coach Lloyd has been very encouraging to me and for everybody on our team.
“For me ... when and if I do get those minutes, it’s about being as aggressive as I can be defensively, offensively. There will be those opportunities, hopefully. Just making the most of them when I do get out there.”
This is a higher level of play than the Ivy League. Do you feel like you fit in so far? Do you feel like you belong?
Evan Nelson, speaking to the media at McKale Center on Aug. 1, said fitting into the culture of Arizona men's basketball has been a 'seamless' process.
A: “Yeah, definitely. Starting out, I had a ‘Welcome to Arizona basketball/welcome to the Big 12’ moment. Being in a workout with JB (Bradley) and Brayden Burries, these guys are a little bit bigger than me. JB just (ran) through me, I fell over, he made a layup. Everybody’s (joking), ‘Welcome to the Big 12.’
“But no, I definitely feel like I belong. To be at RJ (Richard Jefferson Gymnasium), just looking at the guys who are on the wall — Derrick Williams, Richard Jefferson, Mike Bibby, even coach Jason Gardner — it just puts into perspective that lineage of history and hard work.”
How would you describe your relationship with Jayden Bradley so far?
A: “It’s been great. He’s a phenomenal point guard. He’s a tremendous leader and a great person off the court. Very funny kid. Every day I just come in and try to push him to be a better player. I’m older than him, but he’s taught me a lot basketball-wise. Hopefully he’s learned something from me, too. As long as we continue to just push each other, communicate and try to be leaders on this team, I think we can help this team go pretty far.”
Salpointe Catholic's Evan Nelson (5) and Tommy Irish (0) celebrate with teammates following a 54-48 overtime victory against Peoria in the 4A boy's state championship basketball game in Phoenix on Feb. 29, 2020.
You’re a grad student, but you’re also new to the team, which has a lot of youth — maybe more than Arizona is used to. How are you balancing learning the culture, learning the vibe here but also being a leader and helping mentor some of the younger players?
A: “This is something I’ve been thinking about, and it’s a good question. The beautiful thing about having a young team, but also having core returners like JB, Delly (Anthony Dell’Orso), Tobe (Awaka), Mo (Krivas), the nucleus of our team, they’ve done a good job leading by example. When we’re in the weight room, we’re working as hard as we can. When we’re on the court, we’re attentive and we’re also pushing ourselves. So establishing that as our culture ... having that be our identity.
“The culture, I think, is going to take care of itself. We’ve even had past guys come in last week — Carter Bryant, Caleb Love. Having those guys come back, I think that speaks to the culture that’s been established and helps the younger guys feel settled in, helps me feel settled in. It’s been pretty seamless.”
What do you remember about winning the state championship with Salpointe?
A: “I just remember being very tight with my teammates off the court. I know it was a very hard accomplishment, but we all trusted each other so much and spent so much time with each other off the court that it was like we knew very early on that we were going to win and that it was ours to lose. I remember the gauntlet we had to face to get there, going through Catalina Foothills and then Peoria. But just the feeling of being on top was great.”
