Nelson hits all-time mark
Former Central Catholic star shines at Fairfield
N.E. BASKETBALL
Tyler Nelson had plenty of options for where he could go to college. Now, as he finishes a memorable four-year career, he can look back with no regrets.
The Central Catholic alum was fresh off a strong junior season — when he led the Raiders to a Div. 1 North title — and a stronger summer playing for BABC in 2013 when the offers started pouring in: George Washington, Binghamton, Vermont.
They were all mid-major offers, and Nelson narrowed in on the situation that fit him the best. In the end, the decision was Fairfield, which offered him the opportunity to play significant minutes right away. It certainly worked out for him.
Known mostly as a lethal shooter coming out of high school, Nelson expanded his game over his four years with the Stags, and the hard work paid off. On Saturday, Nelson became Fairfield’s alltime leading scorer in the Stags’ 102-98 double-overtime victory over Quinnipiac.
“It is pretty crazy,” Nelson said. “I never really thought of it coming in as a freshman. My goal was just to play, contribute and just have fun doing that. But every year I think my game has jumped to a new level.”
Fairfield coach Sydney Johnson knew that Nelson, the son of an NBA scout, had the talent and basketball IQ when he recruited him, but the 6-foot-2 guard has certainly exceeded his expectations.
“We didn’t say, ‘Oh, this kid’s going to be our all-time leading scorer’ back when we got him,” Johnson said. “We just thought we had a kid who fit our system and could improve. We knew we got something good, but sometimes you can’t necessarily predict how great and I think Tyler has to take the credit for that.”
Nelson played big minutes as a freshman, which set the foundation for his historic career. Each year, he took significant steps in his growth as a player. This season he’s leading the MAAC with 21.9 points per game.
“As a junior and a senior, he’s just completely blossomed and flourished and become just a terrific basketball player,” Johnson said. “He’s really turned into one of the best basketball players I’ve ever coached.”
Nelson said he made the right choice by going to Fairfield.
“It’s been great,” he said. “It’s been a good experience. All four years I’ve learned a lot, on and off the court . . . . I’m just trying to end senior year on a high note.”
Perfect shot
Anna Maria’s Mike Rapoza didn’t realize what he was doing until after. It didn’t dawn on his coach, Shawn Conrad, either.
When Rapoza made yet another shot last Tuesday, Conrad started to get an idea.
“One of our seniors said, ‘That’s 17-for-17,’ and it didn’t register with me right away,” Conrad said. “The next possession down the floor, I said, ‘Did you just say he’s 17-for-17?’ ”
Rapoza, Anna Maria’s star forward, finished the game 18-for-18 as he went for 42 points and 19 rebounds in the Amcats’ 102-84 win over Mount Ida. It tied the thirdbest shooting performance in NCAA history at any level. Two players have gone 20-for-20, and two others have gone 18-for-18.
On Saturday, Rapoza went 5-for-5 and broke the Div. 3 record for most consecutive shots made with 26. The record across all divisions is 30, set by Yale’s Brandon Sherrod in 2016.
“I’ve been placed in a great system here,” Rapoza said. “Coach does a great job, we have a great team. We play hard. Everyone on the team plays exactly as I do.”
Anna Maria has won six in a row, thanks in large part to Rapoza. The GNAC rookie of the year last season, he’s gotten better this season. He’s second in the country with 22 double-doubles.
“We knew he would come in and be an impact player right away, but it was probably halfway through his freshman year where we started to really marvel at the fact that you can almost count on a double-double every night from him,” Conrad said. “That’s pretty special.”
Three the hard way
UMass has lost eight of its last nine as it’s become severely undermanned, but Carl Pierre continues to stroke. Last Wednesday, the BC High alum set a school record for most 3-pointers made by a freshman in a season. He has 76 triples.