The NBL’s Most Average Player for the 2018/19 Season
September 23, 2018
Marshall Nelson
- Nationality: AUS
- Date of Birth: 31/01/94
- Place of Birth: Perth (WA)
- Position: GRD
- Height (CM): 184
- Weight (KG): 85
- Junior Assoc:
- College: Rhode Island College (2014-16) / Wayland Baptist (2016-17)
- NBL DEBUT: 14/10/18
- AGE AT DEBUT: 24
- LAST NBL GAME: 11/03/22
- AGE AT LAST GAME: 28
- NBL History: Illawarra 2019, 2022
- Championships: 0
- None
BIO: Marshall Nelson was born in Perth (WA)
NBL EXPERIENCE
Marshall Nelson made his NBL debut with the Illawarra Hawks at 24 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.
After a challenging 2017/18 season, Illawarra saw several key players depart, including Demitrius Conger (to Serbia), Rotnei Clarke (to Greece), Nicholas Kay (to Perth), Delvon Johnson (to Slovakia), and Cody Ellis and Rhys Martin, who both retired. In response, the Hawks made significant roster changes, adding Jordair Jett (via NZNBL), Brian Conklin (via France), David Andersen (via Melbourne), Cedric Jackson (via USA), and rookies Emmett Naar and Daniel Grida. They retained key players AJ Ogilvy, Tim Coenraad, Nic Pozoglou, and team captain Kevin White.
Illawarra began the season with a dramatic quadruple-overtime thriller, narrowly losing to Melbourne (122–123). They followed this heartbreaking defeat with a heavy loss to Perth (101–61) but rebounded with a road win against Cairns (104–93). A brief two-game win streak later in October saw the Hawks secure victories against Brisbane (86–78) and Adelaide (120–109), momentarily placing them in fifth. However, inconsistency plagued the team, and they later endured a four-game losing streak in November, including defeats to Perth (90–81), Sydney (81–90), and Adelaide (104–79). Despite flashes of potential, the Hawks finished with a 12-16 record, missing the playoffs.
Marshall Nelson had limited opportunities during the 2018-19 season, seeing action in just 15 games. Nelson’s standout performances were few but notable given his role. His best games included 8 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist against Melbourne (23 Jan 2019), 4 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists against Cairns (4 Feb 2019), and 6 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist against Adelaide (25 Nov 2018). His ability to contribute in short bursts reflected his efficiency in limited minutes.
Alongside Nelson, Illawarra was led offensively by Brian Conklin (14.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists), Todd Blanchfield (13.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists), who earned the Hawks’ club MVP award, Jordair Jett (11.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists), and AJ Ogilvy (9.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks). Despite strong individual performances, the Hawks couldn’t maintain consistency and ultimately missed the playoffs in what was one of the most competitive NBL seasons.
2021/22
Cairns underwent a rehaul prior to the 2021/22 season, with the first move being Adam Forde replacing head coach Mike Kelly. Forde, who had spent the previous season coaching the Sydney Kings, was tasked with finding new firepower for the Snakes after losing the team’s leading scorer, Cam Oliver, to the NBA the previous season.
Imports Tahjere McCall and Stephen Zimmerman were brought in, alongside Keanu Pinder (via Adelaide) and rookie Bul Kuol (Detroit Mercy) to bolster a Taipans core that already included Majok Deng, Kouat Noi, Nathan Jawai, Mirko Djeric, Jarrod Kenny, and Scott Machado, who was named team captain.
The Taipans struggled to generate wins all season due to a series of player injuries, preventing Cairns from fielding a full roster in any game that season. Despite these struggles, Forde was instrumental in developing the Taipans’ younger talent, many of whom delivered career-best seasons.
Majok Deng (14.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1 assist) had his best season to date, playing in every game for the Taipans and finishing second on the team in points per game. Keanu Pinder (10.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) went on to be named the NBL’s Most Improved Player after doubling his points and rebounds from the previous season.
Another breakout season came from Ben Ayre (6.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists), who originally joined the team as an unpaid training player after being recommended by former 36ers coach Joey Wright. Ayre was elevated to the full-time roster as an injury replacement in April and went on to break NBL records during his eight-game tenure. On 18 April 2022, in just his sixth appearance for the Taipans, Ayre scored a team-high 20 points along with 10 assists, four rebounds, three steals, and four three-pointers in a loss to Melbourne (80–92). He became just the third player in the 2021/22 season to record 20 points and 10 assists in a game (alongside Bryce Cotton and Jaylen Adams) and the second Taipan in club history to register 20 points and 10 assists.
First-year player Bul Kuol (10.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists), who was initially told he was not guaranteed to be part of the rotation, also saw injuries thrust him into the lineup. He quickly became one of the Taipans’ most important players and was rewarded at the season’s end by being named Rookie of the Year.
Scott Machado (10.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.3 assists) sustained a heel injury in round two of NBL22, missing more than six weeks. In April 2022, he re-injured his heel and missed the rest of the season. Machado and Tahjere McCall (16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 2 steals), who led the team in scoring and assists, were selected as co-MVPs of the team as Cairns finished in second-last place (9-19).
Nelson appeared in 10 games and averaged 3.3 points, 1.0 rebounds, and 1.0 assists for the season.
Marshall Nelson played two seasons the Illawarra Hawks. This included the Illawarra Hawks. He averaged 2.6 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 25 NBL games.
NBL TOTAL STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 28 | Cairns | 9-19 (9) | 10 | 89.1 | 33 | 11 | 10 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 34 | 35% | 6 | 21 | 29% | 3 | 6 | 50% | 45% | 44% | 6 |
| 2018-19 | 25 | Illawarra | 12-16 (7) | 15 | 97.7 | 33 | 17 | 11 | 3 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 11 | 34 | 32% | 5 | 16 | 31% | 6 | 6 | 100% | 45% | 40% | 8 | Totals | 25 | 187 | 66 | 28 | 21 | 4 | 24 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 30 | 23 | 68 | 33.8% | 11 | 37 | 29.7% | 9 | 12 | 75.0% | 45% | 42% | 8 |
NBL PER GAME STATISTICS
| SEASON | AGE | TEAM | TEAM RECORD | GP | MINS | PTS | REB | AST | OR | DR | STL | BLK | TO | PF | FGM | FGA | FG% | 3PM | 3PA | 3P% | FTM | FTA | FT% | TS% | EFG% | HS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-22 | 28 | Cairns | 9-19 (9) | 10 | 8.9 | 3.3 | 1.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 3.4 | 35% | 0.6 | 2.1 | 29% | 0.3 | 0.6 | 50% | 45% | 44% | 6 |
| 2018-19 | 25 | Illawarra | 12-16 (7) | 15 | 6.5 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 2.3 | 32% | 0.3 | 1.1 | 31% | 0.4 | 0.4 | 100% | 45% | 40% | 8 | Total | 25 | 7.5 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.8 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 2.7 | 33.8% | 0.0 | 29.7% | 0.4 | 1.5 | 75.0% | 45% | 42% | 8 |
CAREER HIGHS
| POINTS | REBOUNDS | ASSISTS | STEALS | BLOCKS | TURNOVERS | TRIPLE DOUBLES | 8 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
|---|
STATE LEAGUE EXPERIENCE
- Perth 2014-15, 2017, 2019-21 | Canberra 2018 | Rockingham 2022 | Willettton 2024
Nelson was a part of the Rockingham Flames squad that won its first ever NBL1 West championship behind the stellar play of NBL1 West MVP Devondrick Walker who was named Grand Final MVP. Despite losing Walker and Greg Hire due to NBL commitments, the Flames then went on to defeat the Frankston Blues 85-74 in the 2022 NBL1 national championship. In the national championship game Nelson delivered 26 points, six rebounds, and five assists for Rockingham while captain Ryan Godfrey added 23 points (4/6 from downtown), five rebounds, and three assists and was named Championship Game MVP.
In 2025, Marshall Nelson played for the Eastern Suns in NBL1 West, pairing with former Wildcats import Terrico White.
COLLEGE
Marshall Nelson began his US college basketball journey at the Community College of Rhode Island for the 2014–15 season, where he adapted quickly to the American junior college level and appeared in 24 games, averaging 9.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game while shooting efficiently from the perimeter. His performance that season earned him Region 21 NJCAA all-conference honours and featured a season-high 22 points in the final game.
Following his freshman year at CCRI, Nelson transferred to Wayland Baptist University ahead of the 2015–16 season, playing 32 games for the Pioneers and averaging 9.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game in NAIA competition, helping his team compete through Sooner Athletic Conference play.
In the 2016–17 season at Wayland Baptist, Nelson upped his production over 20 games, averaging 12.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.45 assists per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the field and 79.2 percent from the free throw line. On December 10, 2016, he delivered a career-best performance with 43 points in a 102–99 overtime win over Sul Ross State, the most points by a Pioneer in the 21st century and one of the highest single-game totals in school history, earning Sooner Athletic Conference Player of the Week honours for that effort.
Across his NAIA college career, Nelson’s scoring ability and all-around guard play were hallmarks of his development, finishing his senior year with averages that reflected growth in shooting, playmaking, and consistency as a backcourt contributor.
Related
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