Riley Nelson may be entering her second season with Duke women’s basketball, but the guard is set to make her debut with the Blue Devils and sixth-year head coach Kara Lawson this season.
Nelson, a redshirt sophomore out of Clarksburg, Maryland, transferred to Duke from Maryland prior to the 2024-25 season. She was unable to play in her inaugural season with the Blue Devils, sidelined with an ACL tear she sustained during her season at Maryland.
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Instead, she watched — and learned — from the bench as the Blue Devils won the ACC tournament and made a trip to the Elite Eight.
“Even when I was on the bench last year, coach Lawson has always made it a point to kind of teach me her ways and kind of take me under her wing,” Nelson said on Friday, Oct. 24 at Duke’s preseason media availability. “Just seeing the game, obviously from sitting on the bench, but now on the court. Her insight is just amazing, her basketball mind.”
Nelson will be joining a Blue Devils backcourt with veterans in seniors Taina Marr, Ashlon Jackson and Jadyn Donovan — who will be seeing more time along the perimeter this season — along with freshman Emilee Skinner.
“They’re long, they’re disruptive, they’re talented,” Lawson said. “They can score, they’re different too. There’s a diversity to our guards that I really like.”
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Standing at 6-foot-3, Nelson is taller than some of Duke’s post players, giving her a natural advantage on the wing.
“Being a 6-3 guard and to be able to shoot the 3 and pull up, that’s a really impressive game,” Donovan said. “That would be definitely helpful for us to spread out our offense a lot.”
Nelson also shares a connection with Donovan and fellow teammate Delaney Thomas. The trio hails from the “DMV,” area, the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia metropolitan area. Donovan and Nelson are both from Maryland while Thomas is from West Virginia.
That shared background is only expected to strengthen their on-court chemistry.
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“I’m super excited to see how that DMV connection plays out,” Nelson said.
The Blue Devils open their 2025-26 season on Monday, Nov. 3 in Paris, France, against Baylor in the 2025 Oui-Play Paris. It will mark the first trip to Paris for Nelson and will mark her long-awaited Blue Devils debut.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how she does,” Lawson said “The season is long and there’s peaks and valleys and she’ll have her share of both. But I’m just really confident in who she is and the work that she’s put in to be a good player for us.”
Anna Snyder covers Duke for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at asnyder@gannett.com or follow her @annaesnydr on X, formerly known as Twitter.Â
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Duke women’s basketball’s Riley Nelson poised for breakout season
