Upcoming Event: Men's Basketball at Baylor on October 10, 2025 at 2 p.m. (MST)
M Basketball
2 p.m. (MST)
at Baylor
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Grand Canyon University Athletics
Men's Basketball
Nelson, Mark
Mark Nelson
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
- Mark.Nelson@gcu.edu
- Phone:
- 602-639-6845
Mark Nelson begins his fifth season as an assistant coach for GCU and the first under head coach Dan Majerle.
Nelson helped guide GCU to back-to-back NCAA Division II West Region Championship appearances as the team posted a 42-16 record over the course of those two seasons.
Nelson brings 18 years of college and USA Basketball coaching experience to his position. In 11 years as a head coach at the junior-college level, he won 243 games at Cowley County in Kansas and at Wabash Valley in Illinois. In 2001-02, he guided Wabash Valley to a 32-6 record and a berth in the NJCAA Final Four.
In the summer of 2002, he was selected as a coach for the U.S. Junior National Team, which included future NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Deron Williams. He was the junior-college coach of Tony Allen, who also went on to the NBA.
In mid-2005, Nelson and Russ Pennell opened the Arizona Premier Basketball Academy in Gilbert, which quickly became the pre-eminent basketball training facility in the Southwest. Several of GCU’s players are products of the academy and its travel teams, which experienced national success because of their sound fundamentals and unselfish style of play. Because of his abilities as an instructor and trainer, Nelson has been sought out by college and pro players for skill-development workouts in the offseason.
Nelson is a native of Pittsburg, Kan., who played at Independence Community College and then at Kansas State. During Nelson’s two years at K-State playing for Head Coach Lon Kruger, the team won 45 games and twice played in the NCAA tournament, reaching the Elite Eight once. He has a degree in physical education from K-State.
Nelson and his wife, Sherry, have three children: twins Cooper and Katie, both who have been a part of the GCU program, and son, Chase.
Nelson helped guide GCU to back-to-back NCAA Division II West Region Championship appearances as the team posted a 42-16 record over the course of those two seasons.
Nelson brings 18 years of college and USA Basketball coaching experience to his position. In 11 years as a head coach at the junior-college level, he won 243 games at Cowley County in Kansas and at Wabash Valley in Illinois. In 2001-02, he guided Wabash Valley to a 32-6 record and a berth in the NJCAA Final Four.
In the summer of 2002, he was selected as a coach for the U.S. Junior National Team, which included future NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Deron Williams. He was the junior-college coach of Tony Allen, who also went on to the NBA.
In mid-2005, Nelson and Russ Pennell opened the Arizona Premier Basketball Academy in Gilbert, which quickly became the pre-eminent basketball training facility in the Southwest. Several of GCU’s players are products of the academy and its travel teams, which experienced national success because of their sound fundamentals and unselfish style of play. Because of his abilities as an instructor and trainer, Nelson has been sought out by college and pro players for skill-development workouts in the offseason.
Nelson is a native of Pittsburg, Kan., who played at Independence Community College and then at Kansas State. During Nelson’s two years at K-State playing for Head Coach Lon Kruger, the team won 45 games and twice played in the NCAA tournament, reaching the Elite Eight once. He has a degree in physical education from K-State.
Nelson and his wife, Sherry, have three children: twins Cooper and Katie, both who have been a part of the GCU program, and son, Chase.
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