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SoCalHoops High School & Prep Report

Estancia Names Boys' Athlete Of The Year--(June 15, 1998)

Estancia High's Sam Nelson, a basketball standout who earned Orange County All-Star recognition in both sports his senior year, was voted the school's Male Athlete of the Year. Nelson, who led Coach Rich Boyce's basketball team to the CIF Southern Section Division III-A semifinals, was also named last month as the Pacific Coast League's Male Athlete of the Year. He played two sports, basketball and volleyball for three varsity seasons. He will continue his athletic career at UCLA, where he'll walk on in volleyball, was a two-time PCL MVP and back-to-back selection as Newport-Mesa District Player of the Year in basketball. The 6'-5" Nelson, who can play down low or from the perimeter, also earned second-team All-CIF Division III honors the last two years. He was the first two-time Player of the Year on the sixth annual Daily Pilot all-district Dream Team, averaged 22.9 points and nine rebounds for the Eagles (19-10). He scored in double figures in all but two games as a senior, tallying more than 30 points seven times.

Nelson, who shared league MVP honors with two other players this past season, scored 1,440 points in his 85-game varsity career. "More than being a great basketball player, he's a great kid," Boyce once said of his versatile star, whom he used at every position. The redhead, who will concentrate on playing shooting guard as a collegian next season, averaged 18.1 points per game as a junior and 9.6 as a sophomore, helping the Eagles claim the PCL crown both years. Overall, Estancia was 62-23 with Nelson in uniform.