RIO GRANDE VALLEY – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Men's Basketball Head Coach Matt Figger announced on Thursday that 6-7, 200-pound forward Marek Nelson will return for his third season with the Vaqueros and fifth season of college basketball in 2021-22.
 
"What makes me most excited about coming back to UTRGV to play is that I feel like we have unfinished business," Nelson said. "The way we ended last season was not the ending to our story or Coach Hill's story. I firmly believe there's something special in the future here and I'm excited to be a part of that."
 
This past season, Nelson averaged 7.7 points on 47.4% shooting, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 14 games (eight starts). He reached double-figures in scoring six times. 
 
"Marek has really bought into what we're doing," Figger said. "He an experienced leader who is very versatile. He's a high-energy, athletic guy that will contribute in both the front and back court for us. We're excited to have him back."
 
Nelson redshirted the 2019-20 season after transferring to UTRGV from Western Kentucky, where he played his first two seasons.
 
As a sophomore in 2018-19, Nelson averaged 2.7 points on 36.4% shooting, 1.8 rebounds and 13.7 minutes in 18 games (seven starts). He missed most of conference play due to an injury.
 
As a freshman in 2017-18, Nelson appeared in all 38 games, making one start and averaging 9.2 minutes per game. He averaged 2.6 points on 53.5% shooting and 1.6 rebounds per game.
 
Originally from Plano, Nelson attended high school at Plano East, where he was a First Team All-District 6-6A selection as a senior. He also played AAU ball for Lone Star Elite. Nelson went on to compete at Sunrise Christian Academy in 2016-17, averaging eight points, six rebounds and two steals per game while also leading the team in charges taken.

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