University of Massachusets Athletics
Nelson Enjoys Role As Floor General
January 21, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 21, 2003
So how do you tell someone who set the UMass single-season three-point field goal attempts record as a freshman to shoot more? That is the problem that first-year University of Massachusetts women's basketball head coach Marnie Dacko faces with sophomore point guard Katie Nelson.
"Katie is a coach's dream," said Dacko."Now, I just wish she would shoot more. She has a great work ethic and is a fierce competitor. She always puts the team first and really understands what we are trying to do here. If Katie misses a few shots early on, she gets down on herself and stops putting it up.We are trying to work with her on that and get her to realize that all great shooters have bad nights. In order to get back on track you need to keep shooting."
In her freshman campaign, Nelson started each game and attempted the most (167) three-pointers in a UMass single-season, while her 50 field goals from behind the arc ranked second. Just midway through her sophomore season, Nelson already ranks in the top five in three-point field goals made and attempted. She currently ranks third all-time at UMass with 259 attempts, while her 79 trifectas are good for third. Nelson also sits in 10th-place with a .305 percentage from behind the arc
"Coach (Dacko) is always telling me to shoot more," said Nelson. "She is just looking for better shot selection. I am trying to work on taking the ball to the basket more and not necessarily relying on the three-point shot. I believe that if I continue to work on the other parts of my game then my shot will eventually come. Once I start driving to the hole, that will free up people for me to dish off to."
And speaking of dishing it off; through Jan. 11, the Ellicott City, Md., native was second in the conference with a 2.09 assist to turnover ratio. After a freshman year where Nelson started in each game and finished 13th in the Atlantic 10, averaging 3.07 assist per game, she has handed out 4.00 helpers a game through 14 contests this year. And who better to dish the ball to than All-America candidate Jen Butler. A preseason first-team All-Conference selection, Butler ranks first in the conference in points (17.5) and leads the nation in rebounding (14.8).
"It is no secret, our game plan is to get Jen the ball on the post," said Nelson. "Now I just need to be able to hit the shot when she passes it back out of a double- or triple-team."
Nelson is a major factor why the Minutewomen got off to their best start in 34 years. Playing on a senior-laden team, Nelson has quickly emerged as a true leader and shown that there is no truth to a sophomore jinx. She is fourth on the team averaging 9.1 points per game and leads the team in three-point shooting at 29.5 percent.
"This team is really no different than it was a year ago," said Nelson speaking of last year's 2-10 non-conference record. "We are just more comfortable with each other and the new style of play."
This year, Dacko, who arrived in Amherst last spring after seven successful seasons at Cornell, has instilled a new motion offense with a focus on running and pressing. This style of play is tailored for point guards like Nelson.
"I like this offense better than last year," said Nelson. "It gives us more options on the floor. If one play does notwork, we have a lot of other things that we can go to.We feel a lot more at ease in this style of offense."
Nelson, the daughter of a coach, has started in each game since arriving in Amherst in the fall of 2001. This year, she is averaging 38.2 minutes per game and was the only member of either team to play all 50 minutes of last month's double-overtime loss to the University of Florida.
"Coach is always saying she needs to find a way to get me some more rest," said Nelson. "I don't need rest. That is what our off day is for. I want to be out on the floor making a difference. Our goal is to win the school's first out-right Atlantic 10 Championship and get back to the NCAA Tournament."
As of Jan. 11, the Minutewomen were 9-5, but it could easily be 12-2. Over Christmas break last month, Massachusetts participated in the State Farm Classic hosted by the University of Florida and was arguably the best team down there. In the first game against Florida, the Minutewomen surrendered a 15-point second half lead and eventually lost the game in double overtime. Nelson turned the ball over 11 times in the two-day tournament and against the Gators, she managed just five points and was 2-for-14 from the field, including 1-for-12 from three-point range.
In the consolation game, the Minutewomen faced the 25th-ranked Michigan Wolverines for the second time this year. While many teams wouldn't have even showed up after a devastating loss the night before and having to face a team that they already lost to 91-65 earlier in the year. The Minutewomen showed their true character and nearly came out with a win. Nelson and the Maroon and White came out firing and took advantage of poor Michigan shooting to build a 14-point lead at halftime. After the Wolverines lit up UMass on Nov. 29 in Ann Arbor for 55 first half points, they were held to a season-low 18 by the Minutewomen defense. Nelson connected on four trifectas for 12 first half points but that would be the end of her scoring. For the second straight night, UMass was unable to put away the opposition when given the opportunity and allowed Michigan to keep it close. Despite the sloppy second half play, UMass still held a five-point advantage with a minute and change to go, but could not even muster a field goal in the final 1:04 of the contest. Before you could blink, Michigan went on an 8-0 run as the Minutewomen literally threw away the game.
"We were all so mad with ourselves after those two games," said Nelson. "We had a chance to finally prove that we were for real against two very formidable opponents and let both games slip away. As a team, it was decided that we were going to forget about it and just remain focused on our goals."
In the next game, UMass did not score a single point for more than 10 minutes at home against Memphis, but was able to keep it close with good defense. The Minutewomen kept chipping away until they finally took the lead in the second half. This time, they would not let it get away and eventually won 51-46.
"We have had a couple of wins like that," said Nelson. "After all those close overtime games last year, we understand what it takes come back. A good team knows what it takes to overcome early deficits and win the close game."
Nelson grew up in a Baltimore suburb with a father for a coach. William Nelson, the head men's coach at Johns Hopkins University, was never able to coach his daughter due to NCAA rules but that did not stop him from helping out along the way.
"It was definitely an advantage growing up with a father as a coach," said Nelson. "He was always able to see things in my game others might not see since they have to focus on the whole team."
So now Nelson and the Minutewomen head into conference play as one of the teams to beat. With an A-10 win already under its belt (a 59-45 win at Rhode Island Dec. 9), Massachusetts knows that it is right in the thick of things this season. In Marnie's Army, you might as well throw away the stats, because there are no typical trends that point to victory. UMass has won five games when committing 20 or more turnovers and already has four victories when trailing by six or fewer points at the half.
"This is a special team capable of great things," said Nelson. "We just need to focus on the task at hand and play our game. The rest will just fall into place."
