FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Tyler Nelson will be one of 64 senior basketball student-athletes to attend the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament from April 11-14. The event will feature 12 games between eight teams which will be played in front of fans and NBA scouts. The event takes place at Churchland High School Sports Complex in Portsmouth, Va. Nelson becomes the first Fairfield University student-athlete to earn an invitation since Rakim Sanders gained a spot following the 2011-12 campaign.

                Over the last 65 years, the tournament has invited the best college basketball seniors from across the nation to participate in the event.  The tournament drew the attention of NBA scouts and general managers in the 1970's when players like Rick Barry, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Dave Cowens, John Lucas and Bobby Cremins came to Portsmouth to play.  Soon the word spread and approximately 200 scouts, general managers and representatives of all 30 NBA teams began to come to see players like John Stockton, Dennis Rodman, Tim Hardaway, Scottie Pippen and others.  Today scouts from numerous international leagues have joined in on the annual April pilgrimage to Portsmouth. 

                 Nelson enjoyed one of the best offensive seasons in school history by establishing the school record for career points (2,172 points) and points in a season (732 points), the first 700-point season in school history. The Massachusetts native was the top scorer in the MAAC with a 22.2 scoring average this year, a number which also places 13th in the NCAA Division I statistics. He also places nationally in three pointers made per game (23rd with 3.15 pg) and in free throw percentage (26th with .880).

               Nelson also showed his shooting range by setting the program's standard for three-point shooting, netting a career record 315 three-point field goals over his four-year stay. He hit that mark after netting 104 three pointers in 2017-18, becoming the first Stag in school history to reach the century mark in that category.

              Awards have been plentiful for the senior guard with his most recent honor coming as a member of the All-ECAC first team. Nelson, who was named the MAAC's preseason player of the year, secured his fourth berth to a MAAC postseason awards team. He collected All-MAAC first team honors for the second straight season in 2017-18 after garnering All-MAAC third team accolades as a sophomore and a spot on the MAAC All-Rookie as a freshman. The guard was a NABC All-District first team pick in 2017-18 and 2016-17.