Commitment Report: Grant Nelson commits to NDSU
Grant Nelson was the top available player in North Dakota – until Sunday night when he committed to North Dakota State University. Nelson, a 6-foot-8 forward from Devils Lake, burst onto the state’s scene last winter, averaging 16 points, 12…
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Continue ReadingGrant Nelson was the top available player in North Dakota – until Sunday night when he committed to North Dakota State University.
Nelson, a 6-foot-8 forward from Devils Lake, burst onto the state’s scene last winter, averaging 16 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for the Firebirds. His combination of length, mobility and skill made him the highest upside prospect in the state.
A really good showing on the AAU circuit with ECI was enough to get Division I programs interested and once the home-state program came knocking, there wasn’t much by way of recruiting drama.
“They started recruiting me at the end of the school year,” Nelson said. “That’s when they came for a visit. I think they’ve just been staying in touch all through the summer. They offered and I kind of knew I wanted to go there the whole time. I felt like I would fit great in their program. I just like the coaches, the coaching staff and all the players.”
It’s easy to see the upside with Nelson. At 6-foot-8 or so, he’s got a nice combination of shooting touch, footwork in the post, finishing ability and defensive instincts. He plays with physicality even though he’s on the lighter side. He’s got long arms and a frame to hold more weight. There’s a lot to like about his game long term.
“It’s always been a dream to play college basketball and I’ve always followed NDSU closely,” Nelson said. “I always knew I had the height and length to play Division One, it’s just been a matter of using it to my best ability and I’m starting to do that.”
Nelson joins Jamestown guard Boden Skunberg as North Dakota products who will heading to Fargo next year. Skunberg’s status as an NDSU commit was something that appealed to Nelson when making his decision.
“We’re pretty good friends, we’ve known each other for a while,” Nelson said. “Him being there made things easier, knowing there’s a guy I’m close to.”
For a high schooler heading into his senior year, Nelson’s now effectively gotten the stressful stuff out of the way. Now he can put all of his focus into continuing to develop his game – which he’s done at a high rate to this point. The goal of earning a Division One offer has been attained, but Nelson’s got a lot more goals to accomplish.
“Keep trying to grow and get better,” said Nelson. “Continue to prove that I’m a D1 basketball player. I want to get stronger for sure. Then I just want to keep improving as much as I have.”