Nelson picks Boise State as transfer site

Matt Nelson, one of three Eastern Washington University basketball players who decided to transfer after a disappointing 8-30 season, became the second to select a new school.

Nelson, a 6-foot-9 forward, said Friday he is planning to go to Boise State, picking the Broncos of the Western Athletic Conference from the half-dozen schools that recruited him.

“Boise State was my first visit and I really liked it and I canceled my other visits,” said Nelson.

Nelson, who was the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year two seasons ago, will have to redshirt one season before he can play for Boise State, where he will have two years of eligibility remaining.

“It will be tough to sit out one year,” he said. “I can use it to get stronger, work on my game and get used to the system.”

As a sophomore, he averaged 8.6 points and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game for the Eagles.

Nelson said he picked Boise for a lot of reasons.

“First and foremost, I really like Coach (Greg) Graham,” he said. “He seems like a coach I can play for. I like their style and I like the guys. The facilities are awesome and it’s a pretty nice city. The conference is nice and it’s the Western Athletic Conference.”

His roommates at EWU, Danny Pariseau and Eric Henkel, also said they were leaving the program. Henkel will attend Carroll College this fall and Pariseau has not yet chosen a new school. Henkel has two years of eligibility left and Pariseau one.