Former Aggie rolling the dice with Jazz

BOISE — Spencer Nelson finished his four-season Utah State career on a high, confident he could take his game to the next level.

Just how lofty a plane he could reach, however, was not so certain.

The minor leagues? Somewhere overseas? Dare he shoot for the moon?

When an NBA opportunity actually did present itself, then, one might suspect the call was a simple one. Who wouldn't jump, no questions asked, at an offer from the Jazz to go fall training camp?

For Nelson, though, the choice was not nearly so obvious. The accountant in him felt obliged to assess risk vs. reward opportunity.

"It wasn't an easy decision, actually," said Nelson, Collegeinsider.com's Mid-Major Player of the Year after averaging 16 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists as a senior forward at USU. "It was kind of a tough decision: take the guaranteed money in Europe, or kind of try to follow a dream?"

A team in Istanbul, Turkey, dangled guaranteed cash at the 6-foot-8 Nelson. The Jazz promised nothing more than meal money and a shot at overcoming stacked odds.

For Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, determining what to do really seemed a no-brainer: When the alternative is waking up and never knowing what might have been, why not try to live the dream?

"I would say to myself, 'You better milk that, because you might not get another chance, and now is your chance to lay it all out there and play,' " Sloan said. "If that was my son, that's what I would say to him. 'See who you are. Find out who you are.' That should give you confidence to go forward — or pursue another career."

Nelson, who spent one summer interning as an investment banker in New York, ultimately decided to spurn the sure thing and pursue instead a potential course of fantasy fulfillment.

He did so knowing full well the possible consequences.

"Obviously there's a lot of great players (in Jazz camp)," Nelson said, "so it's going to be kind of tough to make this squad."

Then why bother?

"It came down to just what I felt like the best thing for me to do was," he said, "and that was to stay in Utah."

The Jazz have 19 players in camp, which opened Tuesday at Boise State University. Thirteen have guaranteed contracts, their roster spots virtually assured. Another, big man, Robert Whaley, is a second-round draft choice being given ample opportunity to make the team.

The Jazz also plan on carrying just 14 players to start the season.

It doesn't take a USU accounting degree like Nelson has to do the math. In the meantime, roster vacancies in Europe — where play begins before the NBA — are mostly filled. Still, the 25-year-old was willing to roll the dice and play what amounts to be a numbers game.