Nelson coaches against former team

Posted on Wednesday, February 18, 2009

When a former high school athlete returns to his or her old school gym for a basketball game, it's usually to watch from the stands. But for former Lincoln-HI standout Mat Nelson, it was to coach against his alma mater.

The former Rebel brought his Madison girls basketball team to Ivanhoe, Minnesota, earlier this week, picking up a 78-30 win over his old school. Nelson said coming back to coach against his old school was a big thrill.

Nelson also got to match coaching wits against one of his former coaches on Monday. Alan Panka was Nelsons coach in football and basketball and was on the sidelines for the Rebels. He says he knows a little about what Coach Nelson was going through in the game.

The Madison girls wrap up their regular season Thursday night in Dell Rapids. Pre-game is at 7:10 with the tip-off at 7:30 on Dakota's Best, KJAM.