Premier finished the weekend with a 1-3 showing as two losses came by 1-point each. One of the consistent themes was Nelson, who averaged 13 points per contest and played a pretty good floor game. After a so/so first game, the aggression in game two was evident as he put forth his best outing of the weekend with 21 points despite a loss to a tough B-Maze Elite group. When he wasn’t knocking down jumpers off the bounce, Nelson was putting it on the deck and finishing high off the glass with touch.

Damon is one of the top rising guards in Maryland’s ’27 class and truly went toe-to-toe with a fellow top-ranked ’27 guard. Team came up short but Damon was all game, from hitting tough shots to diming his teammates with good looks at the basket. Started the game with a couple hard-line drives to the rim capped with a pullup. Still had his head on a swivel throughout the first half and making jumpshots when open. Effective within the offense, but started to turn up the heat in the second half. Made some big three-pointers after crossing over, and followed with some tough drives to the rim. Did what he needed to help aide his team but ultimately were shorthanded. Strong showing from Damon in a tough matchup at IAC/MAC.

Another guard that understands how to properly control a game is Nelson and when he’s playing with the pace and persistence that he brought in St. Andrew’s showing against McDonogh on Saturday, it usually ends up in his team’s favor. That was the case as they’d walk away with a 66-53 victory and thanks to Nelson’s ability to impact the game with his shot-making off the bounce, it opened up opportunities for him to set up others as the defense made stopping him their first priority. His processing, deliveries off the live dribble, and keeping his foot on the gas throughout made for a game that was never in question.

Damon’s offensive output was solid all game long in a big St. Andrew’s win. Finished with a team high 19 points as he shot the ball extremely well from deep range, while finding his teammates and racking up assists. Capitalized on a number of catch-and-shoot jumpers around the whole arc, further establishing himself as one of the more accurate-shooting guards in the state.

Nelson had a huge outing in a win over a scrappy Lincoln Prep (CAN) team on Sunday where his pace, IQ, and shot-making prowess off the dribble took centerstage en route to 27 points . When Nelson is playing his game, the way he gets to his shot off the bounce is as smooth as they come. He continues to show strides with his court vision on penetration as well as his ability to anticipate passing windows along the baseline as a response to his paint touch. Consistency will be the biggest key with Nelson moving forward.

18p 3r 1a vs Miller School

– I don’t think there’s anyone in the area that gets into their pull-up jumper quicker off the bounce than Nelson. The shooting gravity allows him to take advantage of an advanced handle to blow past his matchup and get to the rim when he sees an opening in the defense. Nelson played with great pace off the bounce against a Miller School group that deploys several athletic guards that usually will bother players with Nelson’s build and skillset. If Nelson can ramp up the POA defense, add weight to his frame, and use his paint touches to generate open looks for his teammates– I’d expect his recruitment to really take off.

14p 3a 1r 1b 2s vs John Carroll

-The other half of STA’s backcourt also impressed in a narrow loss to John Carroll by showing the full range of his abilities as a play-making point guard that can distribute and has made improvements to his on-ball defense. Nelson plays with great pace at the offensive end of the floor, manipulating defenders with hesi dribble moves while scanning the floor to note where helpers and teammates are before making his move to throw his matchup off-balance. The fluidity in his ball-handling allows him to quickly get into a pull-up or deliver a beautiful pass with either hand to cutting teammates. Those instincts help at the defensive end as he often makes the right guess of where his matchup is going next to cut off their path to force a turnover or a tough shot. Easily one of the most underrated and under-recruited guards in the DMV.

DMV Live

-Nelson had a solid sophomore season with STA and looks geared up for a big year with the Lions coming on the Heels of 6 players graduating from their rotation. Nelson should start and likely won’t leave the floor often as the team’s best shooter and play-maker. He sees the floor really well and is able to get into his shot or pass the dribble smoothly with either hand. Love that he can be successful on or off the ball as a shooter that doesn’t need much space to get a shot off. Expect a few breakout scoring performances with play-making flashes sprinkled in that should entice college coaches to get involved with the rising junior.

Nelson displayed creativity, craftiness, handles, and scoring capabilities on the court. He has continued to be the driving force for DC Premier 16U team, doing a great job in creating and penetrating, mixing it up offensively as a scorer legit three point shot maker, showcasing his ability to get by/around defenders, and being a playmaker for teammates creating numerous scoring opportunities. Damon is one of the better point guards in the DMV area.

-A true magician with the ball in his hands, the handle has really sharpened to allow him to create more space for himself off the bounce and he’s been using it to get to the rim with more frequency. A knockdown shooter with range, Nelson can be used coming off of screens or create his own looks. I like the progression he’s made on the defensive end of the floor, staying down for shot fakes while keeping his man in front and collecting some help side blocks.