Fortuna’s Nelson out of NCAA tournament
Local basketball player Thomas Nelson is now out of the NCAA Division II national championship after his team’s loss in the Final Four stage of the tournament.
Nelson, born in Fortuna and a standout at Arcata High School and College of the Redwoods, is a member of the Flagler College Saints team which competed in the tournament through Thursday night, when the Florida team fell to second-seed Northwest Missouri State in a blowout 77-46 loss.
The Saints reached the Final Four after an intense Elite Eight-stage matchup against Missouri’s Truman State University, defined in the closing seconds via a blocked shot to give Flagler its pass to the following round.
In its round of 16 matchup, Flagler defeated the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers to claim the NCAA D-II South Region championship and move into the ranks of the best eight teams in the tournament.
Nelson joined the St. Augustine, Florida-based Flagler College this season after a successful year at College of the Redwoods.
Playing his sophomore season with the Corsairs, Thomas averaged a robust 20.8 points per game and 7.8 rebounds during the 2019 season. This season also saw him record eight double doubles and shoot 54.6 from the field. His best performance came against Monterey Peninsula Junior College, netting 36 points and capturing 13 rebounds.
Thomas lettered at Arcata High School, playing ball under his future Redwoods coach Ryan Bisio and becoming the 20162017 H-DNL MVP his senior season, which included a 20-win streak for the Tigers.