Roberto Nelson: A Cut Above
Slam dunks can take on a life of their own on a never ending highlight reel, but it's not just Jared Cunningham who is a YouTube sensation.
Darryl Dawkins and Shaquille O'Neal, now Roberto Nelson can add his name to the rare list of players that have broken backboards.
"I can't even tell you, it was extremely scary at the time. just imagine you are going to go up and grab on to something and then it's not even there," Nelson said.
Joe Burton was a witness. "I was thinking, he probably broke his nose, got glass stuck in his eye or something."
Nelson's backboard-busting came during a pick up game while he and teammates Burton and Kevin McShane were overseas in Macedonia for Beavers Without Boarders a two-week trip to help build houses with Habitat for Humanity in June.
Bleeding profusely from the bridge of his nose, McShane said, "Going to take Bert to the hospital?Are you sure that's a good thing going to the hospital out here?"
Nelson added, "It's much better when you are a doctor here in America. You can understand what they are saying."
McShane even kept a memento from the trip. "I actually got a piece of the broken glass at home sitting on my desk, it's pretty cool."
With 20 stitches and a good story to tell, the Beavers took away more from their summer journey than just crazy video and shards of glass.
The time spent in a third-world country helped put things into perspective for the sophomore Nelson who rededicated himself this off-season.
"I didn't really prepare myself like I have this summer."
Fourth year head coach Craig Robinson chimed in, "He looks the part. He is playing better, he feels better and he is a natural leader for this team. Before he worked out and got in shape. He would have never been able to get up high enough to break a backboard."
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