Ricky Nelson Commits to Weber State
Ricky Nelson Commits to Weber State
Ricky Nelson of Texas Elite will follow in the footsteps of Damian Lillard.
By Jordan Divens
Class of 2017 point guard Ricky Nelson followed in the footsteps of Damian Lillard and other talented guards by committing to Weber State last week. Nelson said he felt very comfortable with the coaching staff, who made him a priority.
Their attentiveness paid off--he chose the Wildcats over Loyola Maryland, UT-San Antonio, Bucknell, and UT-Rio Grande Valley, among others. Nelson had a strong showing during the summer, and picked up interest from a number of Division I schools, but when asked about his decision, he said he wanted to play at a school where he could play "early and often."
When discussing his decision to commit to Weber State, Nelson said, "I really liked the coaching staff, they really made me a priority and showed that they really wanted me to come to Weber State." When asked about the biggest selling point of the program, Nelson talked about wanting to play somewhere he could get time all four years, and said, "I really wanted to go somewhere that I can play early and often and continue to improve in every aspect of my game. I know they can really develop players at a high level and I know that I will have a big role in their program."
When asked if Lillard had an impact on his decision, Nelson said he talked to the all-star point guard multiple times, and it was clear the program wanted his services. "I talked to Damian Lillard a week after Weber State offered me, and he showed me that they were really putting effort into me and showed me how good of a player they think I am," Nelson said.
Nelson had a great summer for Texas Elite by averaging 17 points and 2.8 assists per game over their eight-game regular season. The adidas circuit gave him the exposure and competition to make him a better player.
"The Adidas circuit helped me a lot," Nelson said. "I got to play against high-level competition and got a lot of Division I looks."
Nelson wants to improve his game right off the bat in his senior season, and has lofty expectations after falling just short of a state title in back-to-back years for Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas.
"My senior season, I really want to work on playing off the ball, distributing off the ball, and coming off screens. I usually have the ball in my hands, so I want to develop my skill off the ball," Nelson said.
Nothing short of a state title will satisfy the hungry senior, who said, "My goal this year is to win the state championship. We lost in the state championship game my sophomore and junior year, and it drives us a lot to come back and win this season. Last year, we had a lot of starters coming back, and we played faster and harder and put in the effort, but we came up short to Jarrett Allen. This season, we lost a couple of starters, so we are just going to have to fight real hard to win the state title."
Class of 2017 point guard Ricky Nelson followed in the footsteps of Damian Lillard and other talented guards by committing to Weber State last week. Nelson said he felt very comfortable with the coaching staff, who made him a priority.
Their attentiveness paid off--he chose the Wildcats over Loyola Maryland, UT-San Antonio, Bucknell, and UT-Rio Grande Valley, among others. Nelson had a strong showing during the summer, and picked up interest from a number of Division I schools, but when asked about his decision, he said he wanted to play at a school where he could play "early and often."
When discussing his decision to commit to Weber State, Nelson said, "I really liked the coaching staff, they really made me a priority and showed that they really wanted me to come to Weber State." When asked about the biggest selling point of the program, Nelson talked about wanting to play somewhere he could get time all four years, and said, "I really wanted to go somewhere that I can play early and often and continue to improve in every aspect of my game. I know they can really develop players at a high level and I know that I will have a big role in their program."
When asked if Lillard had an impact on his decision, Nelson said he talked to the all-star point guard multiple times, and it was clear the program wanted his services. "I talked to Damian Lillard a week after Weber State offered me, and he showed me that they were really putting effort into me and showed me how good of a player they think I am," Nelson said.
Nelson had a great summer for Texas Elite by averaging 17 points and 2.8 assists per game over their eight-game regular season. The adidas circuit gave him the exposure and competition to make him a better player.
"The Adidas circuit helped me a lot," Nelson said. "I got to play against high-level competition and got a lot of Division I looks."
Nelson wants to improve his game right off the bat in his senior season, and has lofty expectations after falling just short of a state title in back-to-back years for Episcopal High School in Bellaire, Texas.
"My senior season, I really want to work on playing off the ball, distributing off the ball, and coming off screens. I usually have the ball in my hands, so I want to develop my skill off the ball," Nelson said.
Nothing short of a state title will satisfy the hungry senior, who said, "My goal this year is to win the state championship. We lost in the state championship game my sophomore and junior year, and it drives us a lot to come back and win this season. Last year, we had a lot of starters coming back, and we played faster and harder and put in the effort, but we came up short to Jarrett Allen. This season, we lost a couple of starters, so we are just going to have to fight real hard to win the state title."