University of Pittsburgh Athletics
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11/2/2017 4:11:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Kyla Nelson's Journey from England to Pitt
When it isn't dressed up and open to the public for game day, the Petersen Events Center is quiet and largely empty, funneling students down from upper campus alongside a gym and food concourse, and further away, housing the offices where dozens of staff, coaches and student-athletes go about their days.
This regular day-to-day routine was how the wonder of women's basketball freshman guard Kyla Nelson came to be. Or, more specifically, how the wonder of Nelson almost never was.
Breaking in a new computer meant that head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio's emails were not yet synched in their usual manner, and an emailed video clip the England native's on-court highlights nearly passed through unseen.
But, somehow it didn't.
"I just ended up clicking on the email, and started watching her play," McConnell-Serio said. "I was so impressed by everything I was watching."
McConnell-Serio saw many things in the eventual recruit: toughness, explosiveness in the open floor, and a quick release from the three-point line. All of which were more than enough to sell her on Nelson, who she immediately began to pursue.
"Immediately, I went to my sister Kathy [McConnell-Miller] whose office is down the hallway, and I said we need to look into this player," McConnell-Serio recalled.
It is easy to see why Nelson draws the same confidence that she carries onto the court. Despite being the new kid on the team, she is already in her element – poised, relaxed and calling plays during an afternoon training session.
The experience that Nelson has obtained defies her youth. She has had involvement at all levels of the sport, including with the Great British Senior Women's National Team, which has given her ample preparation for her career with the Panthers.
"It's kind of crazy now, because I'm playing and training in the GB Senior Women's Team with women that have played in the Olympics," Nelson said. "So [I'm getting] their knowledge of the game, and also a lot of them have been through college, so I've spoken to them about it too, which has definitely helped."
Now that Nelson has arrived, McConnell-Serio has found even more use of the guard than she had anticipated. Injuries on the team had depleted the number of available point-guards for the Panthers on their 10-day tour of Italy in August, in which they played against three international opponents.
Being placed in this trying circumstance allowed Nelson's dynamism to come to the forefront.
"She's not a true point-guard," McConnell-Serio said. "We had to ask her to play the point guard position, and she embraced it immediately. She will now play the point and the wing position for us […] it's another element that we have that we didn't know we had."
The Panthers ended up winning all three international scrimmages on the tour.
Nelson hails from Worthing, England – a smaller town in the English South Downs where the difficulty of picking up basketball was three-fold: places to train in a country where the sport is not quite mainstream were hard to find. This was especially true for lowly populated areas. And, finding places to train as a girl was harder still.
"I grew up playing with guys," Nelson laughed. "It definitely helped, but when I couldn't play with boys, I had to travel about an hour and a half drive, or the train for about an hour away on my own after school to try and play."
Despite this basketball-sparse landscape providing the backdrop of her formative years, her connection to the sport proved to be the staying factor. She grew up also taking part in soccer and swimming, but these fell to the wayside. The suggestion of netball as an alternative prompted a laugh from Nelson, as well as a 'How dare you!' – outrage not entirely feigned.
That's because the Nelson family is a basketball family. Not only is Kyla the daughter of Steve Nelson, mainstay of the UK basketball scene in the '80s and '90s, but her older brother Luke Nelson recently graduated from UC Irvine, where he played as a starting point guard.
"I was lucky in that I grew up with it," said Nelson of her involvement. Her dad and brother's commitment to the sport was an easy common ground, and provided support that has guided her through her career.
"It was hard on her mum, Sarah, and I to see our daughter so far away," said her father. "But we are happy for her to have achieved a scholarship and a chance to play ACC ball."
Her brother shared similar sentiments, as well as encouragement for her intercollegiate career.
"She'll have to learn to balance school and basketball the same way I did, while also pushing herself on the court in order to perform for her freshman year," he said. "It's not easy, but she'll learn, I'm sure of it."
Classes and training to prepare for the season ahead are what take up most of Kyla's time these days. But in the spare hours she does manage, she's found that a lot of it has been filled by watching the games of her other fellow Pitt Panthers.
"Me and some of my teammates, we actually enjoy going and watching some of the other sports," Nelson said. "We've been to soccer, softball and football games, and we're looking to go to a lot more. We know how hard we have to work to get where we are, so I just find it exciting to go and watch the hard work pay off for other athletes."
Like most freshmen joining her in the class of 2021, getting to grips with a new school and a new city has been a mission in itself.
"There's a lot more people here, for sure," she said of the university. "It's far enough away from downtown where it's part of a nice community, but big enough that you feel a part of something. I'm just finding the management and time organization, but I feel like I'm doing a good job. I am enjoying my classes, and the people around me."
Friday, Nov. 10, will mark the start of the basketball regular season, where the head coach believes Nelson will truly shine.
"Our expectation is for her to come in and have an immediate impact with us, in a lot of ways," McConnell-Serio said.
For now, it's a steady adjustment to life in the United States, undergraduate studies, and the latest leg of a flourishing sporting career.
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This regular day-to-day routine was how the wonder of women's basketball freshman guard Kyla Nelson came to be. Or, more specifically, how the wonder of Nelson almost never was.
Breaking in a new computer meant that head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio's emails were not yet synched in their usual manner, and an emailed video clip the England native's on-court highlights nearly passed through unseen.
But, somehow it didn't.
"I just ended up clicking on the email, and started watching her play," McConnell-Serio said. "I was so impressed by everything I was watching."
McConnell-Serio saw many things in the eventual recruit: toughness, explosiveness in the open floor, and a quick release from the three-point line. All of which were more than enough to sell her on Nelson, who she immediately began to pursue.
"Immediately, I went to my sister Kathy [McConnell-Miller] whose office is down the hallway, and I said we need to look into this player," McConnell-Serio recalled.
It is easy to see why Nelson draws the same confidence that she carries onto the court. Despite being the new kid on the team, she is already in her element – poised, relaxed and calling plays during an afternoon training session.
The experience that Nelson has obtained defies her youth. She has had involvement at all levels of the sport, including with the Great British Senior Women's National Team, which has given her ample preparation for her career with the Panthers.
"It's kind of crazy now, because I'm playing and training in the GB Senior Women's Team with women that have played in the Olympics," Nelson said. "So [I'm getting] their knowledge of the game, and also a lot of them have been through college, so I've spoken to them about it too, which has definitely helped."
Now that Nelson has arrived, McConnell-Serio has found even more use of the guard than she had anticipated. Injuries on the team had depleted the number of available point-guards for the Panthers on their 10-day tour of Italy in August, in which they played against three international opponents.
Being placed in this trying circumstance allowed Nelson's dynamism to come to the forefront.
"She's not a true point-guard," McConnell-Serio said. "We had to ask her to play the point guard position, and she embraced it immediately. She will now play the point and the wing position for us […] it's another element that we have that we didn't know we had."
The Panthers ended up winning all three international scrimmages on the tour.
Nelson hails from Worthing, England – a smaller town in the English South Downs where the difficulty of picking up basketball was three-fold: places to train in a country where the sport is not quite mainstream were hard to find. This was especially true for lowly populated areas. And, finding places to train as a girl was harder still.
"I grew up playing with guys," Nelson laughed. "It definitely helped, but when I couldn't play with boys, I had to travel about an hour and a half drive, or the train for about an hour away on my own after school to try and play."
Despite this basketball-sparse landscape providing the backdrop of her formative years, her connection to the sport proved to be the staying factor. She grew up also taking part in soccer and swimming, but these fell to the wayside. The suggestion of netball as an alternative prompted a laugh from Nelson, as well as a 'How dare you!' – outrage not entirely feigned.
That's because the Nelson family is a basketball family. Not only is Kyla the daughter of Steve Nelson, mainstay of the UK basketball scene in the '80s and '90s, but her older brother Luke Nelson recently graduated from UC Irvine, where he played as a starting point guard.
"I was lucky in that I grew up with it," said Nelson of her involvement. Her dad and brother's commitment to the sport was an easy common ground, and provided support that has guided her through her career.
"It was hard on her mum, Sarah, and I to see our daughter so far away," said her father. "But we are happy for her to have achieved a scholarship and a chance to play ACC ball."
Her brother shared similar sentiments, as well as encouragement for her intercollegiate career.
"She'll have to learn to balance school and basketball the same way I did, while also pushing herself on the court in order to perform for her freshman year," he said. "It's not easy, but she'll learn, I'm sure of it."
Classes and training to prepare for the season ahead are what take up most of Kyla's time these days. But in the spare hours she does manage, she's found that a lot of it has been filled by watching the games of her other fellow Pitt Panthers.
"Me and some of my teammates, we actually enjoy going and watching some of the other sports," Nelson said. "We've been to soccer, softball and football games, and we're looking to go to a lot more. We know how hard we have to work to get where we are, so I just find it exciting to go and watch the hard work pay off for other athletes."
Like most freshmen joining her in the class of 2021, getting to grips with a new school and a new city has been a mission in itself.
"There's a lot more people here, for sure," she said of the university. "It's far enough away from downtown where it's part of a nice community, but big enough that you feel a part of something. I'm just finding the management and time organization, but I feel like I'm doing a good job. I am enjoying my classes, and the people around me."
Friday, Nov. 10, will mark the start of the basketball regular season, where the head coach believes Nelson will truly shine.
"Our expectation is for her to come in and have an immediate impact with us, in a lot of ways," McConnell-Serio said.
For now, it's a steady adjustment to life in the United States, undergraduate studies, and the latest leg of a flourishing sporting career.
#H2P | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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