Former Gator Brett Nelson Fired by Holy Cross

College of Holy Cross men’s basketball parted ways with former Gator Brett Nelson on March 10. Nelson was the head coach for the school for four seasons.

https://t.co/ia3z3YZQjv

— Holy Cross Men's Basketball (@HCrossMBB) March 10, 2023

Nelson with Holy Cross

Coming off of an assistant head coaching job at Marquette, Nelson was hired by Holy Cross in 2019 to become the college’s next head coach.

Congrats to Brett Nelson, new Holy Cross head coach! https://t.co/feA7hxw32W

— Florida Gators Men’s Basketball (@GatorsMBK) July 3, 2019

Although both parties were excited after the signing, coaching the Crusaders was no easy task. Holy Cross has not had a winning season since 2013.

Nelson led the team to a record of 3-29 in his first season at the helm. Things would improve during the rest of his tenure, but rather slightly. During his four seasons with the Crusaders, Nelson led his team to a 27-84 overall record.

After losing to Loyola in the first round of the Patriot League Tournament and finishing this season with a 10-22 record, Holly Cross decided it was time to look for something new.

“I want to thank Brett for his service and commitment to the College and our student-athletes over the last four seasons,” Kit Hughes, the associate vice president of intercollegiate athletics at Holy Cross said. “He led the program through the COVID-19 pandemic and his teams worked hard to represent the College in a first-class manner. That said, after much discussion and thoughtful evaluation of all areas of our program, I believe that a fresh start and new leadership is needed to move Crusader men’s basketball forward.”

Time In The Swamp

Despite his mishaps at the head coaching position, many remember Nelson for his high level of play on the court during his time in Gainesville.

Nelson is considered to be one of the best shooters in Gators history. He leads the school in three-pointers made (274) and attempted (689). The former Gator scored 1,416 points in The Swamp and is also 14th on Florida’s all-time scoring list.

Apart from his ability to light it up from beyond the arc, Nelson was an incredible perimeter defender. With 199 steals, he is second on the Gators all-time list in steals. Also, Nelson is fifth on the all-time Florida steals per game list at 1.54.

What’s Next?

Holy Cross announced they will be looking for a new head coach in the coming weeks and there is no word on what Nelson will do next.