DENVER ? Boise State senior forward Matt Nelson has been named the Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball player of the week for Dec. 31-Jan. 6. This is the second career WAC Player of the Week honor for the senior.
Nelson, a senior from Issaquah, Wash. (Eastern Washington University), led the Broncos to a 2-0 start in WAC play with wins over San Jose State and a road win against Idaho. Nelson averaged 23.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg last week. He made 19-of-23 shots (82.6 percent) in the two wins. Nelson’s .833 shooting percentage against Idaho was the highest in a conference game this season. His 25 points at Idaho were a Boise State career high (he did have 26 in a game while playing at Eastern Washington). In the win against San Jose State, Nelson had his WAC-leading seventh double-double of the season with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Against Idaho, he had 25 points along with seven rebounds and three assists.
Over the last three games, Nelson has only missed four shots going 26-of-30 from the field. With the wins, the Broncos move to 11-3 this season.
The other nominations were freshman forward Ned Golubovic, Fresno State; senior guard Matt Gibson, Hawai?i; senior guard/forward Justin Hawkins, New Mexico State; freshman guard Justin Graham, San Jose State and freshman forward Tai Wesley, Utah State.