Stats for 2019

34 GP 10.5 MPG 2.4 PTS 1.0 REB 1.8 AST .03 STL .01 BLK .8 TO 34.5 FG% 69.6 FT% 30.0 3P%

Anthony Nelson came to the Hall as its most heralded freshmen. So much so that head coach Kevin Willard compared him to former NYC high school star Kenny Anderson. Hyperbole coming from a coach who often speaks in superlatives? Absolutely. But you don't put that kind of pressure on a first year player unless he has shown you something that makes you feel he could be special.

Nelson in the mind of Willard was such a player. The former NY Lightening point guard and teammate of fellow SHU frosh Jared Rhoden was profiled as such by ESPN.....a big lefty combo-guard who is very talented with the ball in his hands. He has terrific positional size, especially when playing the point, as well as the ability to make plays for himself and others while also posing a scoring threat at all three levels. He's very smooth off the dribble with both the quick first step to get to the paint and the size and bounce to rise up to score in the mid-range area. He also does a good job of drawing contact and getting to the free-throw line. His stroke is sound, albeit not always consistent, to the arc and he's drastically improved his ability to make plays for others.

Strong words indeed. Words that gave hope to the Hall that if not to start the season surely shortly thereafter the former captain of South Kent in Connecticut would take over the reins of the Pirate offense.

Unfortunately it was not meant to be as Nelson struggled all year long showing flashes but not the consistency to earn more than just 10 minutes a game as Quincy McKnight's caddie. Numbers inflated at times due to McKnight often being in foul trouble.

Where did it go wrong? Well you can look no further than the defensive side of the court. If you want to play for Willard and unless you are an offensive star you better show your wares there.

Nelson didn't and he mostly rode the pines as a rookie.

Early in his first year at the Hall Nelson had a bad habit of standing upright on defense never showing the consistent commitment needed on that end of the floor. Traits that only corrected themselves later in the season.

To compound that Nelson despite showing a good feel for running the offense in his limited minutes had difficulty scoring from range or in dribble drive situations. Because of that defenses backed off of him making it difficult for him to maximize his talents for the good of the team.

That said it was not an entirely lost season for Nelson as his defense improved in the latter stages of 2019 and he seemed to become more comfortable down the stretch playing his best ball come tournament time. That has given hope that the player most expected to see, and that includes the entire staff of the Pirates, will blossom in year two and push Seton Hall's defensive wizard McKnight for minutes at the crucial PG position.

But that's a discussion for next season. For the one just concluded I would rate Anthony Nelson a C-.