Nelson Men Finish Top-Ten in Final NCCAA Poll

Following the conclusion of the NCCAA National Tournament, the final post-season rankings have been announced with the Nelson Warriors concluded the 2025-26 season ranked #8, capping off a highly successful campaign

After a mid-season skid that dropped them below .500, the Warriors caught fire, finishing the regular season 12-2, and capturing the SWS West Regional Championship with a dramatic 81-80 victory over rival Justice, earned their third consecutive trip to the NCCAA National Tournament. Nelson advanced to the national semifinals before falling to eventual National Champion, Lancaster Bible College, then dropping the third-place game to host College of the Ozarks in their season finale.

Individually, Zoe Holman (SWS Conference MVP, All-Conference 1st Team, NCCAA West Region MVP, and All-Region 1st Team), Orlando Gonzales (All-Conference 1st Team, All-Region 1st Team, NCCAA Scholar-Athlete honor), Terrin Ross (All-Conference 2nd Team, and All-Region 2nd Team, NCCAA Scholar-Athlete honor), Calvin Windley (All-Conference 3rd Team, NCCAA Scholar-Athlete), and Wyatt Mackay (All-Conference Honorable Mention) each received postseason individual awards.

But a team is only as good as its weakest link, and part of what made the Warriors so dangerous was the lack of a true exploitable weakness. Game in and game out, Chase Pavey brought a sniper's eye from beyond the arc with a defensive awareness that consistently irritated the opposition. Artemus Bradley has an intense see-ball get-ball mentality. Swarming defensively, he never looked to score for himself, but fought aggressively for every rebound, stuck his hands into every passing lane, and stood firm between the ball-handler and the rim. Logan Demarie was the team's spark plug off the bench. Comparable to the Roadrunner in speed and focus, opposing defenses would lose him in a flash as he would glide past defenders to the rim, or run around picks even catching up to the ball-handlers on the other side before the opponent even got there. Jermaine Earnest was this team's sixth man extraordinaire. Often waiting in the bushes throughout the first half, he was always ready to pounce in the second pouring in what regularly amounted to a point a minute, adding an offensive spark that defenses rarely could account for. Like Demarie, Nicholas Bojorquez too was an energizer off the bench capable of leading the offense and draining shots around the rim even against the opposition's tallest defenders. Never afraid of a little contact, he would dip, duck, dive, and dodge opponents around the court until he inevitably found himself in the right place at the right time to take a wide-open shot.

This season was defined by resilience and tremendous character, ultimately reaching the national semifinal stage for the third consecutive season. While the season ended short of the ultimate goal, the 2025-26 Warriors left a lasting mark on the program. With a strong returning core and the foundation Coach Ebert has built, the future of Nelson basketball remains exceptionally bright.