William Jewell head women’s basketball coach Jill Slominski has announced that former Cardinal Maddie Nelson will be returning to the Mabee Center this winter as an assistant coach.
Nelson, who graduated from Jewell in 2017, has spent the last three years in elementary education. During her standout career with the Cardinals, she started all 110 games she appeared in and became the only player in program history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. She graduated as Jewell’s 12thall-time leading scorer with 1,250 total points, ranks eighth with 630 rebounds and sixth with 343 assists to go along with 224 steals. She scored in double figures 67 times, including seven double-doubles, and as a senior was one of only 10 players in Division II to post a triple-double. She earned two All-Great Lakes Valley Conference selections, including a first team nod as a senior in 2017. Off the court, she was a three-time Academic All-GLVC honoree and recipient of the GLVC Council of Presidents’ Academic Excellence Award.
Within the NCAA era, she holds records for single season field goal attempts, rebounds (twice), rebounding average, defensive rebounds, assists and minutes average which she set as a senior, playing in more than 38 minutes per night which led all of NCAA-II. She is the career record holder in points, field goals made, field goal attempts, rebounds, defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds, games played, starts, minutes and minutes average. Her 1,250 career points made her the first men’s or women’s player to join the 1,000-point club in the NCAA era.
Nelson hails from nearby Smithville, Mo., where she was a two-time first team All-State honoree while also earning four All-Conference, two All-District and two All-Region selections. She earned her degree in elementary education.
