Prospect Spotlight: Kadeem Nelson (2019 De La Salle North HS)
De La Salle North is in a good spot as they head into the second half of league play and a lot of it has been due to the maturation of Kadeem Nelson. The skilled 6-foot-2, 160-pound senior has been…
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Continue ReadingDe La Salle North is in a good spot as they head into the second half of league play and a lot of it has been due to the maturation of Kadeem Nelson. The skilled 6-foot-2, 160-pound senior has been adjusting his game to help out the team and the Knights have been dominating opponents. A tough non-league schedule has helped prepare Nelson and his teammates for sure as they strive for another league title and a repeat run at state.
“We’ve played a lot of great competition and the tough schedule prepared us for league,” Nelson said. “I feel like my game has been going good. My coach has been getting on me as I’ve been settling a lot, shooting a lot of threes, so I’ve been getting in the paint taking advantage of my height.”
In a recent league game at Riverdale, Nelson was able to put his versatile talents on display. At the Les Schwab Invitational “The Eight” event in December, his focus was more on shooting from the outside, but against Riverdale he took the ball strong to the basket, hit the boards hard, and used his length to disrupt on defense.
The word is still getting out on Nelson when it comes to college recruiting. Open to all options including junior college, Nelson notes that he received a letter from the University of Chicago but is hoping for something a little closer to home. “I want to stay on the West Coast,” Nelson said. “I want to be close to home but not too close, and I also don’t want to be on the bench the whole time – I want to play my freshman year.”
De La Salle North has been cruising through Lewis & Clark League play, consistently winning games by 20+ points. Nelson knows that if the Knights stay focused, a repeat 3A title could be in the works. “We’ve got seven new guys on the team and state is going to be a huge competition,” Nelson said. “We’ve got to work hard in practice, execute in games and not get rattled when we get in tough situations.”
Nelson currently ranks as the #74 player in the PrepHoops Oregon Class of 2019 rankings.