Can you score ten points on Grant Nelson?
How would like the opportunity to have one full year of your college tuition covered? Well, it turns out you may not have to be a Resident Assistant at a run-down dorm in order to trim your college expenses.
On Monday, North Dakota State Associate Director of Athletic Communications Wes Offerman announced via Twitter that four current NDSU students will have the opportunity to face the unicorn himself, Grant Nelson, in a one-on-one battle. Any of the participants who reach 10 points before Nelson reaches 20 will walk away with a check that covers their tuition for the upcoming academic year.
We reached out for a comment by Offerman, but he was unavailable at the time. However, we were able to get a hold of Nelson and got his thoughts on the event.
“I’m excited,” Nelson said with rather ambiguous facial expressions. “Sometimes during the offseason, it’s fun to go to the gym here and school up some smack-talkers and dunk on their heads. Now I’ll get to do it in front of everybody. If someone beats me, props to them but I don’t know, it shouldn’t be too hard.”
The idea, inspired by Nelson’s coach David Richman, was constructed in an effort to see Nelson play at his home court possibly one last time. While it is unknown whether or not Nelson will stay with the university, transfer to a higher-level conference, or declare for the NBA draft, this challenge will not only give Bison fans an entertaining show to see their star player but also give students an opportunity to be financially covered.
“Grant is one of the most thrilling players we’ve had at this university in the Division I era,” Richman said. “We thought it was a good opportunity not only for fans to come to see him play and promote our program but a chance for a student to get some relief financially as well.
Students can get their tickets for free in the same way they would for a regular-season game. As for everyone else, admission will be $3 for adults and $2 for those 18 and under.
NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen approved the event which will be held at the SHAC and stated, “College is supposed to be about fun and sometimes ridiculous events. While I was at first skeptical, I lightened up and realized how much this has the potential to be a thrilling event.”
The 6’11” junior forward with the wingspan of a 747 plane is coming off a season where he averaged 17.9 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game and earned first-team all-conference honors. As a journalist, I can’t share any predictions, but I can assure you that I would be taking the over on any betting line set for Nelson’s blocked shots.
Not just anyone can put their name in and hope they were one of the first four applicants. Thursday and Friday, the first 100 students to submit an online application will face off against one another at the ‘Welly’ for a chance to play against Nelson. Applications will become available at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, sent to your school email and will close at 8 p.m. the same day. The entry fee to participate is $7.50, very much worth it for the incentive provided.
The preliminary rounds will run all day Thursday starting at 11 a.m. so you may have to miss your Calc-II class on Thursday afternoon, but the stakes are high here. The later rounds will then be Friday morning. You will be seeded based on how early you enter your application. In the application email, the bracket will be included with more information.
Unlike the prelims where the first to 10 buckets win, Nelson will have to reach 20 points before you reach 10. Twos are worth one point and threes are worth two points. The catch for Nelson, if he wins, is he will be exempt from all of his final examinations at the end of the year. If not, his professors will each give him a final he will be required to complete. So, no convincing him to let you win because there’s a lot riding for him here too.
“There’s a lot on the line for me now too,” Nelson stated. “I’ll also be announcing my decision on my future after the games so it should be fun and a day I’m looking forward to.”
The event, also inspired by the movie Hustle featuring Adam Sandler, Juancho Hernangomez and many other NBA players, will draw some famous alumni as well. Former NDSU stars Ben Woodside, Brett Winkelman, Taylor Braun, Rocky Kreuser, are among those who will be in attendance.
Grab your popcorn folks. It’s a lot more fun to watch someone get dunked on than have it happen to yourself. However, we all love upsets, especially in March and we know in this month anything can happen on a basketball court. Get to the Scheels Center on Saturday, April 1, at 7 p.m. for this one-time event.