View source for Mel Nowell

{{Short description|American basketball player (born 1939)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{No citations|date=December 2022}}{{Infobox NBA biography
| name            = Mel Nowell
| image           = 
| width           = 
| caption         = 
| height_ft       = 6
| height_in       = 2
| weight_lb       = 170
| birth_date      = {{birth date and age|1939|12|27}}
| birth_place     = [[Columbus, Ohio]], U.S.
| high_school     = [[East High School (Columbus, Ohio)|East]] (Columbus, Ohio)
| college         = [[Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball|Ohio State]] (1959–1962)
| draft_year      = 1962
| draft_round     = 12
| draft_pick      = 90
| draft_team      = [[Chicago Zephyrs]]
| career_start    = 1962
| career_end      = 1968
| number          = 20, 27
| position        = [[Point guard]] / [[shooting guard]]
| years1          = {{nbay|1962|full=y}}
| team1           = [[Chicago Zephyrs]]
| years2          = 1963–1964
| team2           = [[Wilkes-Barre Barons]]
| years3          = 1966–1967
| team3           = Columbus Comets
| years4          = [[1967–68 ABA season|1967–1968]]
| team4           = [[New Jersey Nets|New Jersey Americans]]
| highlights      = 
* [[List of NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Champions|NCAA champion]] ([[1960 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1960]])
| stats_league    = NBA and ABA
| stat1label      = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value      = 963 (8.4 ppg)
| stat2label      = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value      = 260 (2.3 rpg)
| stat3label      = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value      = 239 (2.1 apg)
| bbr             = nowelme01
}}
'''Melvyn P. Nowell''' (born December 27, 1939) is an American former professional [[basketball]] player.

Born in [[Columbus, Ohio]], Nowell played for the Ohio State Buckeyes basketball team that won the 1960 [[NCAA]] championship. He played with three Hall of Famers and Hall of Fame Coach [[Fred Taylor (basketball coach)|Fred Taylor]]. He later played in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) for the [[Chicago Zephyrs]] and in the [[American Basketball Association]] (ABA).

A 6'1 [[Guard (basketball)|guard]], Nowell was a [[high school]] star at Columbus East 1957–1958. His outside shooting and one-on-one skills were enough to rate him the #2 player in [[Ohio]] after [[Jerry Lucas]]. Fielding numerous scholarship offers, Nowell decided to follow Lucas to [[Ohio State]] in a historic recruiting class that later also included [[John Havlicek]] and [[Bobby Knight]]. Starting with fellow [[wiktionary:sophomore|sophomore]]s Lucas and Havlicek, Nowell's shooting was a key element in Ohio State's run to the 1960 NCAA title. He was named to the 1960 All-Tournament Team.

Ohio State's 1960–61 team went undefeated until the NCAA Final. Ohio State's 1961–62 also reached the NCAA Final.

Nowell did participate in the 1960 US Olympic Trials but was never seriously considered for a spot on the team. Only three [[African American|blacks]] were named to that team, and more attention was paid to Nowell's white Ohio State teammates, a factor he considered in his remaining basketball career.

Nowell's shooting ability was such that he could have been a big scorer at another school, a fact that could have led to a bigger pro career. Instead, he played with or for four future Hall of Famers, went to three straight NCAA Finals, winning one in 1960. All three years, the [[Ohio State Buckeyes]] were undefeated at home at St. John Arena.

==Career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend}}

===NBA/ABA===
Source<ref name=bbr>{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nowelme01.html|title=Mel Nowell NBA and ABA stats|website=[[Basketball Reference]]|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=19 February 2024}}</ref>

====Regular season====
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;"
!Year
!Team
!GP
!MPG
!FG%
!3P%
!FT%
!RPG
!APG
!PPG
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{nbay|1962}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1962–63 Chicago Zephyrs season|Chicago]]
| 39 || 15.1 || .388 || || .727 || 1.7 || '''2.2''' || 5.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{abay|1967}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[1967–68 New Jersey Americans season|New Jersey]] (ABA)
| '''76''' || '''20.5''' || '''.402''' || .281 || '''.826''' || '''2.5''' || 2.0 || '''9.6'''
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 115 || 18.6 || .398 || .281 || .803 || 2.3 || 2.1 || 8.4
{{S-end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/n/nowelme01.html NBA and ABA statistics]

{{1960 Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball navbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nowell, Mel}}
[[Category:1939 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Columbus, Ohio]]
[[Category:Chicago Zephyrs draft picks]]
[[Category:Chicago Zephyrs players]]
[[Category:New Jersey Americans players]]
[[Category:Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Point guards]]
[[Category:Shooting guards]]
[[Category:Wilkes-Barre Barons players]]