Prospect Watch: Quinn Nelson (2018)
Class of 2018 guard Quinn Nelson of Ozark made quite the big splash at last weekend’s Bass Pro Tournament of Champions in Springfield.
The 6’3″ sharpshooter showcased his skills on one of the nation’s biggest high school stages for three days and earned a spot on the All-Tournament team after averaging 27 points in Ozark’s three games.
“To make the All-Tournament Team means so much because I know the level of competition I was playing against and how highly recruited those other guys were,” Nelson said. “Knowing I was able to hold my own and excel against them really gives me more confidence in my game for the rest of the season.”
Nelson is being modest when he said he held his own. Not only did his average 27 points a game at the TOC, he shot 50 percent from 3-point range as he made 17 of his 34 attempts from long distance. He also swished home 16 of his 17 free throw attempts. showing that he is just not a 3-point bomber. He will attack the basket and get himself to the free throw line.
Nelson scored 25 points and made six 3-pointers in the Tigers’ opening round loss to Oak Hill Academy, the No. 1 ranked team in the country and eventual tournament champions. He followed that up with 27 points and eight rebounds in a 69-61 victory over Christ the King (NY) in the consolation bracket. Nelson finished a stellar weekend with a 29-point performance against Wasatch (UT) in the consolation finals. As a bonus, Nelson scored his 1,000th career point and became Ozark’s all-time leading 3-point shooter over the weekend.
“The TOC was super exciting,” he said. “Getting that opportunity to play against the nation’s best is something that doesn’t come around every day. I’m glad our team came and competed every night and that we enjoyed it and had fun with it.”
As of now, Nelson has offers from North Arkansas College, Evangel and Southwest Baptist. He has also received interest from the likes of Drury, Rockhurst and College of the Ozarks. He has certainly raised his profile with his performance at the TOC. Nelson is a potent scorer with excellent range, a quick release and the ability to move without the ball to get himself open.
Ozark is currently 10-6 while playing a very challenging schedule. Nelson’s next goal is to lead his team to a deep postseason run. The Tigers have advanced to the district championship game the past two seasons.
“Our goals for the rest of the season is to try to win the conference and hopefully make a run at a state title,” he said.”