Bio

B.S., Bethel University, 2004

Coach Chris Nelson (376-201) enters his 19th season as head coach of Bethel women's basketball in 2024-25.

He is beginning his seventh year on the board of directors for the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

Nelson has been a four-time finalist for both the WBCA National Coach of the Year and WBCA Regional Coach of the Year awards. He has been named the conference coach of the year five times during his career. Nelson was named WHoopDirt.com NAIA Coach of the Year presented by Pivot Analysis for the 2019-20 season. He was also named the NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year.

Nelson's 376 career victories rank him 19th in wins among active coaches in the NAIA.

Bethel finished the 2019-20 season qualifying for the 2020 championship for the 11th time and were ranked sixth in the final Coaches' Top 25 poll. Coach Nelson led his team to the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) tournament championship with a 65-59 win over Martin Methodist. Bethel also won the SSAC regular season title for the second season in a row with a 15-1 mark. The Lady Wildcats finished the season with a 21-game winning streak which is the second longest in program history. The Lady Cats would have been making their 8th straight appearance in the national tournament. Bethel was 15-0 at home on the year.

Under Nelson's guidance the Lady Cats have won 81 percent (166-38) of their home games at Crisp Arena.

Nelson got his start in the basketball business early when he started his coaching career at Yorkville Middle School during his sophomore year in college. After one season, Nelson moved on to serve as an assistant coach at Gibson County High School under the direction of his mentor, Coach Scott Bowlin. From Gibson County High School, Coach Nelson spent the next five seasons as an assistant for Bethel under the direction of Larry Eddings. During those years he was a key component in the two consecutive trips to the NAIA Division II National tournament during the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

In 2006-2007, Bethel moved from Division II to Division I in the NAIA and entered arguably the toughest conference in the nation, the TranSouth Athletic Conference.

Nelson was elected to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Board of Directors in July 2018.

Coach Nelson earned his history degree from Bethel. No one respects the history of the game as much as Coach Nelson.

He is married to Jennifer Nelson, a teacher and coach at McKenzie Middle School. They reside in McKenzie.

Coaching Record