Chelsea Nelson grew up watching Wes Moore's teams at Tennessee-Chattanooga, but didn't know what her recruitment would be like.

The 6-foot-2 Nelson played her first prep game since December of her sophomore year this past Friday for Antioch (Tenn.) John Overton High - 701 days in total, yes, she counted.

Nelson originally attended Overton, then transferred to Brentwood (Tenn.) Academy before going back to Overton. Playing well during the July evaluation period with the Tennessee Flight was crucial in her recruitment.

NC State watched Nelson extensively in July and offered her a scholarship. She officially visited NCSU on Nov. 1-3 and gave her verbal commitment before the trip ended. Nelson and her three recruiting classmates officially signed their letter of intents last week.

"When Coach Moore was at UTC, they were following me," said Nelson, 17. "When he moved up to NC State, he still continued to recruit me. They still came after me. I really liked NC State the most, and I knew his background and the achievements he has had.

"My college career depended on July. You can't be ranked if you haven't played high school. I started playing a lot and my name started to surface."

Nelson bonded with fellow signees Chloe Jackson> of Upper Marlboro (Md.) Riverdale Baptist, Akela Maize of Thomasville (N.C.) New Hope Christian and Carlee Schuhmacher of Des Moines (Iowa) Area Community College.

Nelson picked NC State over Xavier and Furman, which she both officially visited. Tennessee-Chattanooga, Middle Tennessee State, Morehead State and Arkansas-Little Rock also offered, and Louisville and East Carolina showed interest. NCSU assistant coach Nikki West recruited Nelson for the Wolfpack.

"I really liked my recruiting class, and they all made me feel like I was at home," Nelson said. "My official visit was phenomenal. I came up with all the other recruits. I got to explore campus and liked the feel of campus. I watched them practice and liked the structure of everything."

Nelson liked how she can play out on the perimeter and showcase her versatility in the Wolfpack offensive system.

"I like how the four can be on the perimeter but also post up on the inside or shoot the three-pointer," Nelson said. "They also run the floor and I think it creates a mismatch. I'm a three/four kind of player. I have the height of a four, but the skills and strength of a three kind of player. I have to get stronger and things like that."

Moore was familiar with her family from his time in Chattanooga (1998-2013). Nelson's father, former Tennessee-Chattanooga center Keith Nelson, was a two-team first-team All-Southern Conference selection and league player of the year his last year in 1992. The former junior college star left his imprint with the Mocs, and played professionally for 11 years in nine different countries.

Nelson picked up some foreign language skills but admits she's a little rusty at Spanish and Portuguese Nelson hopes to major in broadcast communications in college.

"When I was younger, we lived in Brazil for about three years," Nelson said. "Then we came back to the U.S., and I lived in Kentucky for a little bit and then we moved to Antioch, Tenn.

"I can't beat him at Horse. He teaches me all the time. He tells me about guys that could have been phenomenal, but he says hanging out with certain crowds can hold you back. He says 'You don't want to be in a chicken flock, you want to be a eagle.'"

Nelson looks forward to helping the Wolfpack compete in the loaded ACC, which she calls a "powerhouse" league.

"There are a lot of great teams in the ACC, and that will give NC State a chance to rise to that challenge and make a name four ourselves," Nelson said.