Anthony Nelson
6-4 180 LBS New York, N.Y.
South Kent School
Bio
**2019 BIG EAST ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM**
2019-20: Scored seven points and had six assists vs. Wagner (11/5/19)… totaled five assists vs. Michigan State (11/14/19)... scored 10 points in win over Maryland (12/19/19)... had 12 points and seven assists against Prairie View A&M in 37 minutes of action (12/22/19).
2018-19: Appeared in all 34 games for the Pirates...Finished second on the team in assists (62) even while only averaging only 10.5 minutes per game...issued five assists in his collegiate debut vs. Wagner (11/06/18)...Played outstanding defense and had five assists in just 13 minutes in a Wooden Legacy semifinal game win over Hawai'i (11/23/18)...Produced four assists and two steals vs. Louisville (12/01/18)...Career-high eight assists and hit his first career three-pointer in 21 minutes of action in the win over Sacred Heart (12/19/18)...Had seven points in a road win at Xavier (1/02/19)...Produced five assists in 13 minutes in a win over Creighton (2/09/19)...Dropped a career-high 12 points in the BIG EAST Tournament final against No. 25 Villanova (3/16/19)...Had five points in just eight minutes in the NCAA Tournament against Wofford (3/21/19).
HIGH SCHOOL: Played two years of varsity basketball at the South Kent School in Conn., under head coach Bill Barton...Captained the team his senior year...Led South Kent to the NEPSAC Tournament semifinals as a senior after a 24-point outburst in a quarterfinal win over MacDuffie School...Averaged 16 points, eight assists and five rebounds a game...Named Class AA All-NEPSAC first team and All-New England third team...Also played AAU basketball for the New York Lightning.
PERSONAL: Anthony Nelson...Son of Tonia Perry & James Nelson...The Youngest of six siblings...Brother, Courtney, played college basketball at Richmond, Rutgers and William Patterson...Undecided as to a major at Seton Hall...Birthday is October 20.
Stats
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4397118/anthony-nelson
October 24, 2017 Anthony Nelson South Kent PG commits to Kevin Willard and the Seton Hall Pirates. Nelson, an ESPN 4 star player (http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/231105/anthony-nelson) announces his commitment that evening by posting this video on his twitter page....
The news is met with joy on the South Orange campus with the hope that Nelson under the guidance of two former Big East points, assistant coach Shaheen Holloway, and Willard will help ease the pain of losing star senior guard Khadeen Carrington to graduation.
Previously, following his official visit to the Big East school Nelson was quoted as saying, “They keep telling me that they need a point guard to come in and make plays for everybody and they said that’s where I fit. My role will be to come in and be a playmaker, I think I will fit in well with everybody on the team.”
After the commitment Adam Zagoria of Zagsblog interviewed two of Nelson's coaches via text and was told the following..............
“He has a great feel for the game and a high skill set,” Lightning coach Dana Dingle said. “He makes the game easier for his teammates. He has great size for a point guard and can score the ball.”
“Anthony is very good at attacking the basket, especially off of ball screen actions,” South Kent coach Bill Barton said. “He is great in transition and he has good court vision and is very unselfish. Two years from now, with a little development, a lot of schools are going to wish they had him.”
The table was set. Nelson had the ability and he was walking into a perfect situation where he would be taught by a head coach known for his one on one workouts, and a former Seton Hall star PG who previously was the MVP award winner at the 1996 McDonald's All American game . A game which featured a future all time NBA great in Kobe Bryant.
The future looked bright for the young man from 'the City'. Or did it?
As expected Nelson, while showing glimpses of his talent his freshmen year, struggled on the court as most freshmen do in playing 10 MPG behind the unheralded Sacred Heart transfer Quincy McKnight, who took over the reigns at the point in running Willard's offense.
Still, Nelson only a first year player was expected to earn more minutes the following year and and maybe even replace McKnight as the team's starting point guard.
It did not happen and in fact Nelson struggled on the court even more, especially on the defensive end playing a mere 2 minutes more per game, buoyed by a 2 game stretch where SHU star 2G Myles Powell sat due to a concussion, forcing McKnight to replace him at the 2 and inserting Nelson into the starting lineup.
That 2 game stretch seemed to invigorate the young point as Nelson played his best ball in a Pirate uniform.
Unfortunately, upon Powell's return from his concussion and McKnight regaining his starting point guard position Nelson now regulated to the bench not only saw his minutes diminish but he soon lost even more time in the backcourt to former walkon and eventual first guard off the bench Shavar Reynolds.
Why such a dramatic fall from grace? Well some thought it was a lack of focus and hard work, especially in practice. An opinion that gained even more steam when after a stretch of poor play by the team Kevin Willard in words, although not singling out any players by name, strongly inferred he was not happy with the sophomore's work ethic. The hope being that would light a fire under Nelson and his play would improve.
That hoped for result did not happen and in fact might have had the opposite effect as Nelson playing tentatively from that point on saw his court time shrink to mere minutes per game. The result now being questions if the NY native will enter the NCAA's transfer portal in this now completed season.
Rating
Nelson is a good kid, an honor role student liked by his teammates. He has a 'cool' personality and the thought is maybe that cool personality might be the issue. Nelson is not an emotional person. He does not have a fire in him that Powell, McKnight and Reynolds possess. And that has not served him well.
The ability is still there but is the work ethic?
Combine teammate Reynolds' desire with the size and talent that Nelson possesses and you have a potential All Big East PG. But that seems to be a long way off if not impossible. So with that thought in mind looking at this past season I would rate Nelson's play as a weak....
Final rating C-
