Marshall Lance Nelson (born 31 January 1994) is an Australian-Belgian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

Rockingham Flames Rockingham Flames is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of the Rockingham Basketball and Recreation Association (RBRA), the major administrat ...

of the

NBL1 West NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...

. Debuting in the

State Basketball League NBL1 West, formerly the State Basketball League (SBL), is a semi-professional basketball league in Western Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2020, Basketball Western Australia partnered with the National Basketball L ...

(SBL) in 2014 for the

Perth Redbacks Perth Redbacks is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Perth Basketball Association (PBA), the major administrative basketball organisation ...

, Nelson went on to play three seasons of

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

in the United States and has played in Sweden and Iceland. He has had two stints in the National Basketball League (NBL), first with the

Illawarra Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...

as a development player between 2017 and 2019 and then with the

Cairns Taipans The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Convention Centre, known colloquially as "The Sn ...

as an injury replacement during the 2021–22 season. He played his sixth season with the Redbacks in 2021 and helped them win the SBL championship in 2017. He holds a

Belgian passport A Belgian passport is a travel document issued by Belgium to Belgian nationality law, Belgian citizens to facilitate international travel. It grants the bearer international passage in accordance with Visa requirements for Belgian citizens, visa ...

Early life

Nelson was born in the U.S. state of

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...

and moved to

Perth Perth is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth most populous city in Aust ...

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to ...

, when he was four years old. He attended

Lesmurdie Senior High School Lesmurdie Senior High School is a public co-educational high school in the suburb of Lesmurdie, Western Australia. History The school was established in 1981 and caters for students from Year 7 to Year 12. Enrolments at the school have been re ...

and played in the Western Australian Basketball League (WABL) for the

Kalamunda Eastern Suns Kalamunda Eastern Suns is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Kalamunda & Districts Basketball Association (KDBA), the major administrative ...

as a junior.

Basketball career

Early years in SBL and college (2014–2017)

Nelson debuted in the

(SBL) in

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

for the

. In 30 games, he averaged 7.9 points, 2.63 rebounds and 1.07 assists per game. For the 2014–15 U.S. college season, Nelson played for

Community College of Rhode Island The Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI) is a public community college in Rhode Island. It is the only community college in the state and the largest community college in New England. The college's primary facility is located in Warwick, with ...

and earned Region 21

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

all-conference honours. In the final game of the season, he scored a season-high 22 points. In 24 games, he averaged 9.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. In May 2015, Nelson re-joined the Perth Redbacks. In 12 games to finish the 2015 SBL season, he averaged 11.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.33 assists per game. For the 2015–16 U.S. college season, Nelson transferred to

Wayland Baptist University Wayland Baptist University (WBU) is a private Baptist university based in Plainview, Texas. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (Southern Baptist Convention). Wayland Baptist has 11 campuses in five Texas cities, six ...

of the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stud ...

(NAIA). He played in 32 games for the Pioneers and averaged 9.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He helped the Pioneers win the 2016

Sooner Athletic Conference The Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Originally developed as a five-team conference of Oklahoma-based schools, the SAC now boasts 12 s ...

(SAC) finals. Nelson continued on with Wayland Baptist for the 2016–17 season. On 10 December 2016, he scored 43 points a 102–99 overtime win over Sul Ross State. It was the most scored by a Pioneer in the 21st century and was just seven off the school record of 50 points set in 1955–56. He was subsequently named SAC Player of the Week. In 20 games, he averaged 12.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.45 assists per game. In May 2017, Nelson re-joined the Perth Redbacks. He helped the Redbacks reach the SBL Grand Final, where they defeated the

Joondalup Wolves Joondalup Wolves is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Wanneroo Basketball Association (WBA), the major administrative basketball organisa ...

103–70 to win the

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

. Nelson recorded 17 points, four assists and three rebounds in the grand final with 14 of those points coming in the second half. In 20 games to finish the 2017 SBL season, he averaged 15.45 points, 4.55 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game.

Illawarra Hawks and Canberra Gunners (2017–2019)

Following the SBL season, Nelson moved to

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near w ...

to join the

as a development player for the

2017–18 NBL season The 2017–18 NBL season was the 40th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2017 and February 2018, followed by a post ...

. After not playing during the NBL season, the Hawks sent him to play with the

Canberra Gunners The Canberra Gunners are an Australian basketball team based in Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is ...

in the

SEABL The South East Australian Basketball League (SEABL) was an Australian semi-professional basketball league. The league comprised both a men's and women's competition and was run by the country's governing body, Basketball Australia. The league wa ...

for the 2018 season. The Gunners finished with 20 losses and zero wins, as Nelson averaged 16.1 points and 3.2 assists in his 15 games. Nelson continued on with the Hawks as a development player, this time on a contract, in the

2018–19 NBL season The 2018–19 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams have contested the league. The regular season had been played between October 2018 and February 2019, followed ...

. In 15 games, he averaged 2.2 points and 1.2 rebounds per game.

Perth Redbacks and Europe (2019–2021)

In March 2019, Nelson returned to the Perth Redbacks for the 2019 SBL season. He averaged a league-leading 27.96 points per game and earned All-SBL First Team honours. In 24 games, he also averaged 6.33 rebounds and 4.62 assists. On 29 November 2019, Nelson signed with

Jämtland Basket KFUM Jämtland Basket is a basketball club founded in based in Östersund, Sweden. Founded in 1956, the team plays in the Swedish Basketball League (SBL), the Swedish top basketball league. Home games are played in the Östersunds Sporthall, whi ...

of the

Swedish Basketball League Svenska Basketligan, or the Swedish Basketball League (SBL), is the premier league for professional basketball in Sweden. The league was originally established in 1992 as Basketligan and was known as that prior to the season of 2006–07, but wh ...

for the rest of the 2019–20 season. In 14 games, he averaged 8.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Nelson was set to play for the

Bendigo Braves Bendigo Braves is a NBL1 South club based in Bendigo, Victoria. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is a division of the overarching Bendigo Braves Basketball Club, the major administrative basketball organi ...

in the 2020

NBL1 South NBL1 South is a NBL1 conference based in South East Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2019, Basketball Victoria partnered with the National Basketball League (NBL) to create NBL1 to replace the South East Australi ...

season, but due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

, the NBL1 season was cancelled. He subsequently returned to Perth and played for the Redbacks in the West Coast Classic. He appeared in all 13 games, averaging 21.92 points, 6.92 rebounds and 4.62 assists per game. On 3 February 2021, Nelson signed with U.M.F. Grindavík of the Icelandic top-tier Úrvalsdeild karla for the rest of the 2020–21 season. He broke his finger in April and subsequently returned to Perth. In eight games, he averaged 16.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. In June 2021, Nelson joined the Redbacks for the rest of the

2021 NBL1 West season The 2021 NBL1 West season was the inaugural season of the NBL1 West. After 32 years known as the State Basketball League (SBL), the league was rebranded under the NBL1 banner for 2021. The regular season began on Friday 16 April and ended on Satu ...

. In 14 games, he averaged 20.07 points, 6.42 rebounds and 4.92 assists per game.

Cairns Taipans (2021–2022)

On 30 December 2021, Nelson signed with the

as an injury replacement for

Scott Machado Michael Scott Machado (born June 8, 1990) is an American-Brazilian professional basketball player for Avtodor Saratov of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for Iona College and represents the Brazilian national basketball team. ...

. He made his debut for the Taipans the next day, recording two points and two rebounds in five minutes off the bench in an 84–78 loss to the

Perth Wildcats The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at Perth Arena, ...

. He was released from the Taipans roster on 17 March 2022. In 10 games during the

2021–22 NBL season The 2021–22 NBL season was the 44th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of ten teams are contesting in the 2021–22 season, which commenced on 3 December 2021. Australian broadcast rights to the ...

, he averaged 3.3 points, 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

Rockingham Flames (2022–present)

Nelson joined the

for the

2022 NBL1 West season The 2022 NBL1 West season is the second season of the NBL1 West and 33rd overall in State Basketball League (SBL) / NBL1 West history. The regular season began on Friday 8 April and will end on Saturday 13 August. The finals will begin on Friday ...

. On 28 May, he scored 39 points in an 81–65 win over the

Willetton Tigers Willetton Tigers is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Willetton Basketball Association (WBA), the major administrative basketball organi ...

. On 24 June, he recorded 26 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists in a 102–93 loss to the

Perry Lakes Hawks Perry Lakes Hawks is an NBL1 West club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 West. The club is a division of Perry Lakes Basketball Association (PLBA), the major administrative basketball org ...

. On 1 July, he scored 39 points in a 114–110 overtime win over the

. He helped the Flames finish the regular season in second place with an 18–4 record and helped guide them to the NBL1 West Grand Final, where they defeated the

Geraldton Buccaneers The Geraldton Buccaneers, also known as the Buccs, are an Australian basketball team based in Geraldton, Western Australia. The Buccaneers compete in the Men's NBL1 West and play their home games at Activewest Stadium. The team is affiliated with ...

91–79 to win the

behind Nelson's 19 points. For the season, he earned

All-NBL1 West First Team The All-NBL1 West First Team is an annual NBL1 West honour bestowed on the best players in the league each year. Under the State Basketball League (SBL) brand, a five-player team was named every year between 2005 and 2019. Alternating between the t ...

honours. In 20 games, he averaged 21.85 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.25 steals per game. At the NBL1 National Finals, the team was crowned

national champions National champions are corporations which are technically private businesses but due to governmental policy are ceded a dominant position in a national economy. In this system, these large organizations are expected not only to seek profit but als ...

with an 85–74 win over the

Frankston Blues Frankston Blues is a NBL1 South club based in Melbourne. The club fields a team in both the Men's and Women's NBL1 South. The club is a division of Frankston & District Basketball Association (FDBA), the major administrative basketball organisa ...

in the championship game. In November 2022, Nelson re-signed with the Flames for the

2023 NBL1 West season The 2023 NBL1 West season was the third season of the NBL1 West and 34th overall in State Basketball League (SBL) / NBL1 West history. The regular season began on Friday 31 March and ended on Saturday 22 July. The finals began on Friday 28 July a ...

National team career

In August 2022, Nelson played in a number of exhibition games for the Belgium national team.

Personal life

Nelson has Belgian citizenship and holds a

References

External links

NBL profileNBL1 profileSBL statsWayland Baptist bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelson, Marshall 1994 births Living people Australian expatriate basketball people in Sweden Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States Australian men's basketball players Basketball players from Perth, Western Australia Cairns Taipans players Community College of Rhode Island alumni Grindavík men's basketball players Illawarra Hawks players Jämtland Basket players Point guards Shooting guards Úrvalsdeild karla (basketball) players Wayland Baptist Pioneers men's basketball players