Two more trips for Nelson

Phillip Nelson didn't have the usual carry on luggage when he made the cross country trip to Georgia Tech last weekend. The 6-foot-8, 190-pound small forward from McNary High School in Keizer, Ore., brought his own basketball to Atlanta.

"This kid is a gym rat," Nelson's AAU coach Reggie Guyton said. "How many kids at the elite level do that?"

Not many. And how many kids at the elite level shoot the ball like Nelson does? Not many. That is why so many high-majors are in the mix with the four-star prospect from the Pacific Northwest.

"Personally, any program that is recruiting him strictly as a four will be underutilizing him. He's not a four. He's a perimeter player that can play the two and the three," Guyton said. "Nobody shoots it as well as he does. He's lights out. Lights out. Of course, depending on the match up, he can play the four but if a school uses him strictly at that spot, they are doing him and their program a major disservice."

In need of a forward with shooting range, Georgia Tech made sure they got Nelson on campus as soon as possible. And according to Guyton, Nelson had a good time in Atlanta.

"He loved his Georgia Tech visit," Guyton said. "He absolutely loved it. I think he had a good time with the guys and the team and befriended the other recruit (Brad Sheehan) that was there on the visit. Plus, he got to know the staff really well, too."

With two visits already under his belt, Guyton said Nelson's time with the Jackets enhanced their position with the four-star prospect.

"The visit did what it is supposed to do and that was providing insight to the Georgia Tech program," Guyton said. "He met with the academic staff and understood their style of play more. He got to know the coaches a lot better. Like I said, it definitely did what it was supposed to do. Let's put it this way, Georgia Tech didn't lose any ground. It picked some up."

Georgia Tech remains in the race for Nelson's signature along with Gonzaga, Washington (where he will visit this weekend) and Texas. The Jackets are making an in-home visit on Tuesday. Texas head coach Rick Barnes was in the Nelson home on Monday night.

"He had a very informative visit with Coach Barnes (on Monday night)," Guyton said. "He did an outstanding job of explaining Texas basketball and Big 12 basketball."

Nelson is scheduled to visit the Longhorns on Oct. 14. Guyton said another Big 12 school, Oklahoma State, is no longer being considered and Nelson will not take an official visit to Stillwater.