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.

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.

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