LOCAL PRODUCT ZACH NELSON SIGNS WITH MEN’S BASKETBALL
5/10/2010
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State head men’s basketball coach Brian Katz announced today that 6-foot-6, 215-pound local product Zach Nelson has signed to play with the Hornets, and will enroll as a junior at the University in the fall of 2010.
Nelson, who prepped at Natomas High School and is a post player, spent the last two years playing at Arizona Western College in Yuma, Ariz. This past season, the Sacramento, Calif., native was a second team all-Region I and second team all-Arizona Community College Athletic Conference (ACCAC) selection after averaging 9.2 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 53.1 percent (112-211) from the floor and 66.7 percent (70-105) from the free throw line. Of his team-high 264 rebounds during the season, 118 of those came on the offensive glass (3.4 per game).
Nelson, who was eighth in the 12-team ACCAC in rebounding, helped lead Arizona Western to a 24-8 overall record and a semifinal appearance in the conference playoffs. He posted eight double-doubles (points and rebounds) during the season, including seven in the final 15 games.
“Zach brings something we really need on the front line, athleticism, strength and power,” Katz said. “He is a very good rebounder, and is tenacious on the offensive glass. We’re very excited about what he can bring to our team, and he turned down numerous Div. I scholarship offers to play here.
“Just his combination of power and athleticism alone will cause matchup problems for other teams in the Big Sky Conference.”
Earlier this month in Las Vegas, he was one of 10 players representing the state of Arizona at the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Star Game. In that contest, he finished with nine points and 11 rebounds and was named the Arizona Team’s Most Valuable Player.
As a freshman at Arizona Western (2008-09), he helped the team to a NJCAA Region I championship, an ACCAC title, a 25-5 overall record and an 18-4 conference mark. That year, he averaged 6.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 44.3 percent (66-149) from the floor.
Prior to Arizona Western, Nelson spent a year (2007-08) in Maine at the Bridgton Academy, a one-year, postgraduate private school. Before heading east, Nelson prepped at Natomas High School in Sacramento, where he helped lead them to a 28-2 record his senior season and the third round of the CIF Playoffs. That year, he averaged 9.5 points and 11.1 rebuonds per game. Nelson played both basketball and football at Natomas, earning a total of five varsity letters in the process.
Nelson joins Heath Hoffman (Sauk Valley Community College guard/forward), Konner Veteto (UC Riverside forward/center), Antoine Proctor (Sheridan College combo guard), Kendell Groom (Hyde Leadership High School point guard) and Jackson Carbajal (Buchanan High School shooting guard) as the six players to sign with the Hornets thus far.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento State head men’s basketball coach 
