Brett Nelson joined the Marshall basketball staff as an assistant coach in the spring of 2007 after serving as the Director of Basketball Operations at Virginia Commonwealth University in the 2006-07 season.

Nelson is very familiar with head coach Donnie Jones - he was recruited by Jones to the University of Florida after a stellar career at St. Albans High School in St. Albans, W.Va., and then was a four-year letterwinner with the Gators under Jones' tutelage.

"Brett brings great energy and passion to the game of basketball," Jones said. "He knows what it takes to recruit the players we want for the up-tempo style we play in."

Nelson, who played at Florida from 1999-2003, stands as one of the most accomplished Gators in school history. He ranks second all-time in UF annals in three-pointers made (274) and attempted (689). He is also second on the Gators' all-time list in steals (199) and sixth in career assists per game (3.16) while finishing his career with 1,417 points (17th) and hitting 82.5 percent of his free throw attempts.

While at UF, he also established the school record for consecutive games with a three-pointer (33 games), marking the sixth-longest streak in Southeastern Conference history. He was a member of four of Florida's NCAA Tournament teams, including the 2000 squad that played for the national title, while being named to that season's All-East Regional Team.

In 2001, Nelson was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American while being placed on the NABC District VI First Team, the USBWA District IV First Team and the All-SEC First Team. He was named a Preseason Naismith Award Semifinalist during his senior season.

In 2003, Nelson continued his playing career internationally in Sweden. He was also a member of the University of Florida summer tour in 2001 and a member of the U.S. Junior All-Star Team during the Albert Schweitzer Basketball Tournament in Germany in 1997.

Nelson played prep ball at St. Albans High School in St. Albans, W.Va., where he set the state career scoring record with 2,199 points in three seasons. As a senior in 1999, the star guard averaged 31.9 points, 7.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game. He was named West Virginia Player of the Year and a McDonald's All-American. He competed in the Magic Johnson Roundball Classic in 1999.

Nelson obtained a bachelor's degree in sociology from Florida in 2004.