Nelson: UIC’s unknown senior

(as published in Whoosh! magazine Jan. 16, 2006, plus additional content)

Not too many people have the honor of stepping on to “Coach K Court” at Cameron Indoor Stadium at Duke University and get a chance to play in the NCAA tournament, but senior Etienne Nelson has done both in his UIC career.

“The best moment of my career was playing down at Duke when I got a chance to get in the game,” Nelson said. “I was really happy, even though we weren’t winning at the time, the atmosphere there was great.”

The 21-year-old Nelson, who could probably still pass for a high school student, has played in 12 games at UIC, including mop-up duty against the Blue Devils last season. He also appeared in the final minutes of the Flames’ NCAA tournament game against Kansas at Kemper Arena in 2004.

As a four-year walk-on, Nelson has logged plenty of practice time. Most of the time, Nelson emulates a player on an upcoming opponent.

Such is the life of playing on the scout team at a Division I university. Nelson could have just been a student anywhere or a basketball player at lower-level school, but he wanted a chance to mix quality academics with a solid athletic institution. His listed major is criminal justice.

“I look at it as an opportunity to be Division I,” Nelson said. “I could have went Division II or a school like that, but I’m just glad to be here and a part of this program.”

Nelson admitted that he thought of going to Marquette as a student, but “I’m happy with the decision I made to be here.”

Nelson’s most valuable asset to the Flames is his work on the scout team.

“Usually I’m the two-guard or the small forward,” he said. “It has its ups and downs, because you have play like a certain type of guy,” Nelson said. “It’s a great opportunity just to help the guys get ready and get prepared for the game.”

Nelson, a 6-foot-1, 165-pound point guard, came from a successful Class A program in Walther Lutheran in West suburban Melrose Park. He led the Broncos as senior with 10.5 points and 6.0 assists per game. He also played basketball and football with Clarence “Bo” Flowers, who was a three-sport star and arguably the best athlete to attend Walther.

“We’re pretty close,” Nelson said. “He’s playing minor-league ball for the Cubs. I wish him a lot of luck.”

Nelson has scored five points in his career – all coming in his sophomore season of 2003-04. He decided to join the team after talking with coach Jimmy Collins just after arriving on campus as a freshman in 2002. Nelson liked what he saw of the Flames even when he was a student at Walther.

“I came here to see a lot of the games when I was in high school,” he said. “I’m glad [Collins] gave me the opportunity to be part of the program.”