Duke women’s basketball transfer Riley Nelson is officially on campus.
Nelson, the former five-star prospect who spent her freshman season with the Maryland Terrapins, committed to head coach Kara Lawson back in late April. The team posted a short video on Wednesday that showed her first day at Duke University as she moved in and walked around the school.
“I’m so excited to be here,” Nelson said in a brief introduction at the start of the video. “Ready to get to work.”
The standout sophomore also offered a sentiment about Duke’s iconic arena that should quickly endear her to Blue Devils fans.
“People dream about playing at Cameron Indoor Stadium,” Nelson said. “So just being here is surreal.”
The No. 18 player in the 2023 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings averaged 5.1 points in 14 minutes per game as a freshman, but she only appeared in 16 games. She reached double-digit points in three games, including a career-high 15 against Niagara and 11 points against Nebraska.
Welcome to Duke, Riley Nelson! pic.twitter.com/4Gaqkg4xm7
— Duke Women’s Basketball (@DukeWBB) June 5, 2024
Nelson now joins fellow 2023 five-star Jadyn Donovan, the third-ranked player in the freshman class, and four-stars Oluchi Okananwa, Delaney Thomas, and Jordan Wood on the Blue Devils. Okananwa already excelled in her first season, averaging 9.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.3 steals en route to winning the ACC Sixth Player of the Year award.