Senior Kaylen Nelson had a strong start to her college career through the first five games of last season. The forward was averaging 15.6 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. In her debut, she finished with 31 points, which was the seventh highest in program history.
Nelson’s season came to a halt on Nov. 23, 2023 when she suffered a season-ending knee injury just eight minutes into the game against Bethune-Cookman.
Since then, Nelson has battled back and is ready to build on her play from last season.
“It was really painful emotionally,” Nelson said. “It was very hard to go through that moment … I wouldn’t wish this on anybody, but when you go through an injury like that, you start thinking of all the negatives first in the moment.”
“You go through that, you cry a bit, and then you just think about the next step, which is recovery and pushing through,” Nelson added.
Climbing the ladder
Nelson has been playing the sport since she was incredibly young. The opportunity to play at the college level was a dream that became her reality.
“When you get the chance to do it [play basketball] collegiately, then you have the dream to do it professionally,” Nelson said. “It helps you grow a lot, and it just makes you really excited.”
Nelson came to the Braves in her junior year from Old Dominion University, where she averaged 1.7 points, one rebound and only 6.9 minutes per game. Her decision to join the Braves let her flourish.
“The coaching staff, specifically coach Pop, she just wanted me to come here myself,” added Nelson.
“A lot of times you go to colleges and get recruited, they want you to change yourself, change the way you play, style. Sometimes you change your personality. With her, she just wanted me to come play the way that Kaylen used to play,” Nelson said.
Road to recovery
Despite her absence on the hardwood, Nelson was always there to support her team; however, this did not mean that she felt any better watching her team play courtside.
“It’s hard to see your team struggling in that aspect and feeling like you’re helpless,” Nelson said. “It wasn’t the best season that we’ve had, but even through the losses, you feel like that chance is taken from you.”
This injury took a mental toll on Nelson and her teammates, who had to step up in different ways to substitute for her absence.
“Her love for the game definitely kept her motivated,” graduate senior Ruba Abo Hashesh said.
“She’s a very faithful person,” Abo Hashesh added. “She kept going because she knew how much we needed her. She was still very vocal and a good leader for us during that time last year, even when she wasn’t on the court.”
Not your average player
Nelson was sought out by the Braves not only for what she could bring to the table competitively, but also for the team’s sake on a personal connection.
“I think she [Kaylen] brings a lot of emotional maturity,” head coach Kate Popovec-Goss said. “Kaylen has a sense of knowing what her team needs emotionally in the moment. Sometimes they might need tough love, sometimes they might need a hug [or] sometimes they might need to hear that they’re doing really well.”
What’s in store for #0
When speaking with Nelson, she passionately expressed her elation for the upcoming season and what the Braves have in store.
“I’m extremely excited. I’m very motivated,” Nelson said. “We got other players that [are] coming from other programs where [the teams] didn’t really respect them or use them as they thought. There’s all different things, so we all have many goals that equals into the one goal of having a successful season.”
The Braves will be tipping off their season on Nov. 7 at the Renaissance Coliseum.
