Photo by: University of Wisconsin Athletics
Katie Nelson Returns to BU as Assistant Coach
May 14, 2025 | Women's Basketball
BOSTON – The Boston University women's basketball program has bolstered its coaching staff with the return of alumna Katie Nelson (Questrom'21) as an assistant coach, head coach Melissa Graves formally announced on Wednesday afternoon.
Nelson joins the staff following associate head coach Brianna Finch's departure. Finch accepted an assistant coaching position at George Washington under previous Colgate head coach Ganiyat Adeduntan back in April.
"I am thrilled to welcome Katie back to Boston University," said Graves. "As a former Terrier, she brings a special type of enthusiasm and love for our program. She is a proven winner who brings energy, passion and an incredible basketball mind. Katie created a lasting legacy during her time here as a student-athlete and undoubtedly understands exactly what it takes to help our players succeed – both on and off the court. I am looking forward to having Katie back in Case Gym in this new role."
"Returning to Boston University, a place that shaped me both on and off the court, is incredibly special," said Nelson. "I'm honored to join Coach Graves and the BU coaching staff, and I'm excited to give back to a program that gave me so much. It feels like coming home, and I can't wait to get to work."
Nelson has three seasons of coaching experience under her belt, most recently serving as the acting head coach for Gardner-Webb during a portion of the 2024-25 season. Joining the Runnin' Bulldogs as an assistant coach for 2023-24, Nelson oversaw four All-Big South selections last year. That included Big South Player of the Year Ashley Hawkins, All-Big South Honorable Mention Elle Blatchford, All-Big South Freshman Team pick Kendall Scott and Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year Elze Motekaityte. Nelson helped guide Gardner-Webb to the No. 3-seed in the Big South Tournament with a five-win improvement from her first campaign.
Nelson started her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin after exhausting her eligibility with the Badgers. In that 2022-23 campaign, Julie Pospisilova and Serah Williams garnered All-Big Ten recognition as Wisconsin reached the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Playing her fifth and final collegiate season under previous head coach and Terrier alumna Marisa Moseley '04, Nelson started all 29 games for the Badgers in 2021-22, leading the Big Ten and ranking fifth nationally with 38.3 minutes per game. She ranked fourth on the team with 8.3 points per game and went on to win the 2022 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
A four-year letterwinner at Boston University, Nelson was the second Terrier in program history to receive All-Patriot League honors in four seasons, culminating with a first team selection in 2021. The Falmouth, Mass. native ranks 18th in the BU record books with 1,126 points and eighth with 162 three-pointers. She helped lead BU to its first appearance in the Patriot League championship game in program history in 2021 as she led the team with 12 points and 4.3 assists per game.
Nelson graduated from BU with a degree in business administration from the Questrom School of Business in 2021 and earned her master's degree in sports leadership from Wisconsin in 2023.
Nelson joins the staff following associate head coach Brianna Finch's departure. Finch accepted an assistant coaching position at George Washington under previous Colgate head coach Ganiyat Adeduntan back in April.
"I am thrilled to welcome Katie back to Boston University," said Graves. "As a former Terrier, she brings a special type of enthusiasm and love for our program. She is a proven winner who brings energy, passion and an incredible basketball mind. Katie created a lasting legacy during her time here as a student-athlete and undoubtedly understands exactly what it takes to help our players succeed – both on and off the court. I am looking forward to having Katie back in Case Gym in this new role."
"Returning to Boston University, a place that shaped me both on and off the court, is incredibly special," said Nelson. "I'm honored to join Coach Graves and the BU coaching staff, and I'm excited to give back to a program that gave me so much. It feels like coming home, and I can't wait to get to work."
Nelson has three seasons of coaching experience under her belt, most recently serving as the acting head coach for Gardner-Webb during a portion of the 2024-25 season. Joining the Runnin' Bulldogs as an assistant coach for 2023-24, Nelson oversaw four All-Big South selections last year. That included Big South Player of the Year Ashley Hawkins, All-Big South Honorable Mention Elle Blatchford, All-Big South Freshman Team pick Kendall Scott and Big South Scholar Athlete of the Year Elze Motekaityte. Nelson helped guide Gardner-Webb to the No. 3-seed in the Big South Tournament with a five-win improvement from her first campaign.
Nelson started her coaching career as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin after exhausting her eligibility with the Badgers. In that 2022-23 campaign, Julie Pospisilova and Serah Williams garnered All-Big Ten recognition as Wisconsin reached the second round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Playing her fifth and final collegiate season under previous head coach and Terrier alumna Marisa Moseley '04, Nelson started all 29 games for the Badgers in 2021-22, leading the Big Ten and ranking fifth nationally with 38.3 minutes per game. She ranked fourth on the team with 8.3 points per game and went on to win the 2022 Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
A four-year letterwinner at Boston University, Nelson was the second Terrier in program history to receive All-Patriot League honors in four seasons, culminating with a first team selection in 2021. The Falmouth, Mass. native ranks 18th in the BU record books with 1,126 points and eighth with 162 three-pointers. She helped lead BU to its first appearance in the Patriot League championship game in program history in 2021 as she led the team with 12 points and 4.3 assists per game.
Nelson graduated from BU with a degree in business administration from the Questrom School of Business in 2021 and earned her master's degree in sports leadership from Wisconsin in 2023.
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