Published May 4, 2023
Iowa Joins Long List of Programs Interested in Transfer Grant Nelson
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Eliot Clough  •  Hawkeye Beacon
Lead Analyst
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@eliotclough

In mid-April, North Dakota State men's basketball standout Grant Nelson declared for the NBA Draft. A short two weeks later, he shared his intention to enter the transfer portal, too. Per 24/7 High School Hoops on Twitter, Nelson has heard from the Iowa basketball program out of the portal.

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This season, the 6'11", 235-pound junior lit up the mid-major world, averaging 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.7 blocks in 30.6 minutes per game for the Bison. He shot 52.1 percent from the field and 72 percent from the free-throw line. His percentage from deep was not indicative of his ability to shoot the three this season, as he made just 26.9 percent of his triples. As a sophomore, he shot 32.2 percent from three and as a freshman, he shot 35.6 percent from three.

By way of his performance, he earned spots on the Summit League's First Team and All-Defensive Team.

During the season, Nelson went viral for several clips on Twitter and was dubbed a 'unicorn' for his ability to pass, handle the ball, throw down dunks and make plays given his size and the level at which he played.

See for yourself:

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At Iowa, Nelson could provide a shot-creator and shot-maker the team could desperately use in the frontcourt, along with a much-needed defensive presence around the rim. Nelson would likely play a mixture of the four and five positions for the Hawkeyes along with Valparaiso transfer, Ben Krikke.

Nelson has received a bevy of interest after entering the portal, including from programs like Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Creighton, Alabama, Arkansas, Houston, Baylor, and others in addition to Iowa.

He has two years of eligibility remaining.