Sa'eed Nelson
No. 2 – Sheffield Sharks
PositionPoint guard
Personal information
Born (1998-09-09) September 9, 1998
Pleasantville, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolSt. Augustine Prep
(Richland, New Jersey)
CollegeAmerican (2016–2020)
NBA draft2020: undrafted
Playing career2020–present
Career history
2020–2021Academics Heidelberg
2021Rapla KK
2021–2022SC Rasta Vechta
2022–presentSheffield Sharks
Career highlights and awards

Sa'eed Nelson (born September 9, 1998) is an American professional basketball player who last played for SC Rasta Vechta of the German ProA. He played college basketball for American, where he holds the all time school scoring record with 2,116 career points.

Early life and high school career

Nelson is the son of Jeffery Nelson and grew up in Pleasantville, New Jersey. His favorite basketball player growing up was Kobe Bryant.[1] He mainly focused on playing football before high school, and he was a big Philadelphia Eagles fan.[2]

Nelson attended St. Augustine Prep, where he was coached by Paul Rodio. Nelson stood 5'5 as a freshman.[3] As a junior, Nelson averaged 18.5 points and 7.8 assists per game and led the team to a 27–2 record.[4] In his senior season, Nelson hit the clinching shot and free throw in a 58–55 win against Christian Brothers Academy in the Battle by the Bay. In the Non-Public A title game, he scored 30 points in a 83–50 win against Don Bosco Preparatory High School. Nelson was a two-time Press of Atlantic City player of the year and finished his career with 1,625 points, third highest in school history.[3] Despite averaging 20 points per game as a senior, Nelson was not highly recruited, as most of his scholarship offers came from Patriot League schools, and he was rated a one-star recruit by ESPN.[2] He committed to American on October 5, 2015.[4]

College career

In his freshman debut, Nelson scored 12 points in a 62–56 loss to Maryland. He posted back-to-back 24 point games against Wagner and St. Francis (Pennsylvania), averaging 14.9 points per game as a freshman.[2] He was named to the Patriot League All-Rookie Team.[5] As a sophomore, Nelson averaged 18.6 points, 5.1 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, though the team finished 6-24.[1] He was named to the Second Team All-Patriot League.[6] Nelson averaged 19.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 2.4 steals per game as a junior. He was named to the First Team All-Patriot League.[7] Nelson scored 28 points on February 15, 2020, in a 72–68 loss to Bucknell and broke the 2,000 point threshold.[8] On February 26, Nelson scored 30 points in a 79–59 win against Lafayette and broke Russell Bowers' all-time scoring record at American.[6] At the conclusion of the regular season, Nelson was named Patriot League Player of the Year.[9] He averaged 18.5 points and 5.1 rebounds per game as a senior.[10]

Professional career

On August 26, 2020, Nelson signed his first professional contract with Academics Heidelberg of the ProA.[11] He averaged 12.9 points, 5.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game.

On September 5, 2021, Nelson signed with Rapla KK of the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League.[12]

On December 28, 2021, he has signed with SC Rasta Vechta of the German ProA.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 Austin, Ahmad (February 28, 2020). "Sa'eed Nelson savoring results of his loyalty to American University". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Kolodny, John (February 21, 2019). "'I just keep working': How Sa'eed Nelson's quiet confidence and work ethic have carried the guard to national prominence". The Eagle. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  3. 1 2 McGarry, Michael (February 20, 2020). "Sa'eed Nelson on the verge of basketball history again by playing the right way: McGarry". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  4. 1 2 McGarry, Michael (October 5, 2015). "Press Player of Year Sa'eed Nelson to play basketball at American University". Press of Atlantic City. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ "2016-17 Men's Basketball All-Patriot League Team and Major Awards Announced" (Press release). Patriot League. February 27, 2017. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Wainman, Laura; Haynes, Darren (February 27, 2020). "Sa'eed Nelson becomes American University's all-time leading scorer". WUSA9. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Patriot League Men's Basketball 2019-20 Preseason Honors and Poll Announced (10.16.19)". Patriot League. October 16, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Men's Basketball Streak Halted at Bucknell, Nelson Reaches 2,000 Career Points". American Eagles. February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 15, 2020.
  9. ↑ Byrum, Tyler (March 2, 2020). "American's Sa'eed Nelson named Patriot League Player of the Year". NBC Sports. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  10. ↑ "2020 Patriot League Tournament Preview". Student Union Sports. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
  11. ↑ Schmidt-Scheuber, Miles (August 26, 2020). "Sa'eed Nelson To Begin Professional Career With The MLP Academics". Eurobasket. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  12. ↑ "Sa'eed Nelson (ex Heidelberg) is a newcomer at Rapla". Eurobasket. September 5, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Neuer Guard Sa'eed Nelson kommt um zu helfen". Sportando. December 28, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
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