Florida guard Brett Nelson will return for senior season

GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA - Florida guard Brett Nelson announced Monday he is returning for his senior season after published reports indicated he had decided to apply for the NBA draft. <br> <br> Nelson said that while he has met some of the goals he set when he enrolled at Florida, some have not been met. <br> <br> ``I want to graduate from college, win championships and improve my game,&#39;&#39; Nelson said. <br> <br> Nelson left Gainesville for his hometown of St. Albans, W.V., last Wednesday to discuss his options with his family before returning Sunday. His father, Jim, said his son never decided to head to the NBA and that any story saying he had was wrong. <br> <br> Jim Nelson said he told reporters his son had made a decision, but wanted to tell coach Billy Donovan his plans before announcing them. <br> <br> ``I never said what the decision was,&#39;&#39; Jim Nelson said. <br> <br> After having an oustanding sophomore season, when he was the runner-up for Southeastern Conference Player of the Year to Kentucky&#39;s Tayshaun Prince, Nelson struggled as a junior. <br> <br> He averaged 14.6 points, the third-best total on the team, and shot 39.5 percent from the floor, a sharp decline from the 45 percent he managed as a sophomore. <br> <br> Although he heated up in the second half of the season, hitting an SEC-best 45.1 percent of his 3-point shots in league games, he went 4-for-19 from the floor in Florida&#39;s loss to Creighton in the first round of the NCAA tournament. <br> <br> Three days before that game, he suffered a fractured cheekbone when teammate LaDarius Halton punched him in the face during practice. <br> <br> After the loss to Creighton, Nelson said he would apply for the NBA draft only if he was told he would be a first-round selection. Most draft analysts said it was uncertain whether the 6-4 guard would be drafted at all. <br> <br> ``I know Brett is 100 percent committed to being a Florida Gator, but like most kids Brett wanted to look at his options,&#39;&#39; Donovan said. ``I&#39;m excited to have the opportunity to coach Brett for another season.&#39;&#39;

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