GASO Pearland: Day One

Pearland - Day one of the Great American Shoot-Out saw Ricky "Doc" Nelson put his game back into the conversation as one of the state's top point guards.

To tip-off the first day of action at the Great American Shoot-Out Pearland, Texas Elite stepped onto the floor to face SABO. For the class of 2017 point guard Ricky Nelson of Texas Elite this wasn't just any game, this was a statement game. Texas Elite beat SABO 82-70 behind Nelson's 23 points. The 6-foot-2 Houston Episcopal standout worked and scored off the high ball screen hitting mid-range jumpers and getting to the basket. Nelson used a soft touch, elevating above the defenders to score. At the half, Nelson had 14 points, connecting on two three-pointers.

In the second half, Nelson was just as aggressive as he was in the first, but he earned his points at the free-throw line going 7-for-8. Nelson and dishing out three assists.

As of late, Nelson had been taking some criticism for not showing more of his point guard skills, but in his attempts to put the doubters to sleep, Nelson had a very productive night in front of the TexasHoops/GASO analysts.

"In order to get going I knew I had to come out quick and establish my game and get into a grove," Nelson told TexasHoops.com. "It's been a few weeks since I've played with my team. I had a foot injury and I went to some camps, but I felt good out here tonight."

Nelon did an excellent job early feeding off the high-ball screen that his teammates were setting. It allowed him to create space and make decisions.

"We have some good bigs that come up and help with screening my defender and I knew that I could beat my man off the switch and use my quickness to the hole."

Right now, Nelson is sitting on ten offers. He list Bucknell, Houston Baptist, Lamar, Northeastern, Northern Arizona, Texas A&M-Corpus, Texas Rio Grande Valley,UT-Arlington, UT-San Antonio and Weber State.

In a well-played game between Texas PRO and Texas Boys Basketball Club, all 17 players between the two scored. Texas PRO came out with the victory, 59-56, and Josh Williams led PRO in scoring with 11 points. TCU commit Kendric Davis dropped nine assists in the game and hit his teammates around the rim.

TBAC's Jacobi Gordon and Jamal Bienemy both scored a game-high 13 points. Gordon hit one three and added three rebounds. Bienemy connected on three late 3-pointers and added six rebounds.

Coming back from injury in a big way was Noah Thomas for Texas Elite with helping in the win over SABO, drilling four three-pointers for 16 points. Thomas, a 2018 spot up shooter attends Houston Christian.

River Reed had a game where it seemed he did it all. Reed scored 23 points, pulled down seven rebounds, and added three assists for SABO. Reed has been consistent over the past month, and the 6-foot-8 San Antonio Reagan Rattler scores in a variety of ways.

Texas Boys Athletic Club might have taken a loss in Friday's matchup versus Texas PRO, but 6-foot-7 power forward, Deion Rhea was all over the glass extending his arms for every ball that came off the rim. Rhea attends Porter High School, and his strength and ability to clear room under the basket was impressive. He didn't do much on the offensive end, chipping in only four points, but his presence in the lane and his shot blocking (four blocks) ability makes Rhea very intriguing. You might consider him undersized, but his strong frame and toughness allowed him to get position in grabbing 14 rebounds.

Rhea, class of 2017, list interest from Temple, North Texas, UTSA and others.

FV 5:17 won their second game of the day 65-64, against JUST.WIN Academy. Zach Lord of FV 5:17 had a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Brandon Battle will attend Prep in August totaled 15 on the night. It was Blake Nevin for JUST.WIN who filled the stat sheet. Nevins scored 20 and added seven boards and two assists.