Alabama basketball 's Grant Nelson said he got his own personal link to tickets for his homecoming game in North Dakota.
"I'm grateful for that," Nelson beamed.
Although the senior forward won't be facing his former school North Dakota State, fans of the Devils Lake native are going to be coming out of the woodwork to see their hometown guy.
North Dakota (4-8) was Nelson's only other Division I offer other than NDSU coming out of high school. Coming in with the No. 7 Crimson Tide (8-2), Wednesday will be a full circle moment for Nelson.
"I always liked their basketball program since I was a kid," Nelson said. "I looked up to those guys and went to camps when I was little. ... I have so much love for North Dakota."
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Among the loved ones in North Dakota, Nelson had to find seats for nine siblings, plus all of their family members that wanted to attend. He didn't specify exactly how many, but reassured reporters that there were "a ton."
"They treated me well," Nelson said of UND. "I mean, I think I have enough for close family and a lot of people from my hometown."
Head coach Nate Oats said he'd been chatting with a "fired up" Nelson's father before the matchup.
"His dad sent me a text showing me the lake all iced up," Oats said.
Nelson went 5-1 against UND, highlighted by a career-high 36 points in his last trip. Across six contests, he averaged 19.7 points and 6.2 rebounds.
Only a measly 1,500 miles away, Nelson's family is eager to introduce the Blue Collar boys from down south to the the zero degree temperatures that Alabama may face in its inaugural trip to Grand Forks, more familiar to ice-fishing fans like the Wisconsin native Oats.
Nelson had just one piece of advice for his teammates.
"Bring a coat," he said.
Emilee Smarr covers Alabama basketball and Crimson Tide athletics for the Tuscaloosa News. She can be reached via email at esmarr@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Why Alabama basketball's Grant Nelson got his own ticket link for North Dakota
