Watersprings’ Nelson was an offensive monster all season, and has become a Warriors icon

IDAHO FALLS — Watersprings senior Korban Nelson was among the leading scorers in the state, averaging 23 points per game. More than that, he accounted for 38% of the Warriors’ 60.29 points per game.

Add in his 5.2 assists per game — eighth-most in the state — and Nelson was responsible for more than half of his team’s total points.

And he did all that, according to head coach Evan Bindenagel, despite being the primary focus of every defense Watersprings faced.

Nelson said that the tough defensive pressure started toward the end of his junior year, when he emerged as a threat among a group that included three high-scoring seniors. Nelson knocked down the game-winning buzzer-beater in the district championship game, making him the target of opposing defenses.

“But I definitely take it on as a challenge, and as a compliment as well, for the work I put in — being that scorer and deserving that kind of defense,” he told EastIdahoSports.com.

With all three seniors — including 7-foot center Titus Driver — gone, Nelson knew he would face even tighter defense but that his team would need even more from him.

“I knew that I would have to, definitely, take on a little bit more of a scoring role,” he said. “I like to keep the team involved, but I knew coming into this year that I would have to score quite a bit more to stay competitive with those other schools.”

Bindenagel sat back in awe, at times, of Nelson’s ability to create shots through the defensive pressure.

“He’s just so creative, so great at getting downhill to create shots for himself and his teammates,” Bindenagel said. “Korban has just grown so much in the four years. … To see where he is now, it’s crazy and just a testament to all of his hard work.”

While it happened all season, Bindenagel singled out the Rockland Bulldogs during the district championship game for its defense against Nelson.

Rockland, the top-scoring defense in the state across all divisions, ran a box-and-one, with their top individual defender, Zach Permann, assigned entirely to face guarding Nelson. The senior scored 20 points in a losing effort.

“To his dismay,” Bindenagel said. “It just goes to what kind of scorer he is.”

Nelson finished his career with 1,313 points — second in program history, behind Daniel Canfield, who graduated in 2023 and finished with more than 1,700 points — one of just three Warriors to score more than 1,000, joined by fellow senior Ryan Demkowicz, with 1,018.

He was aware of Canfield when he entered the program, saying he knew Canfield “scored a crap-ton of points,” but targeted the high mark.

“I said at our banquet (my freshman year) — Coach B said something about (Canfield) having the school record, and I said, ‘Not for long.’ So it was definitely a goal of mine to catch him,” Nelson recalled.

Though he never reached the massive total, Bindenagel said that Nelson’s career point output was something of which he should be very proud. Nelson and Demkowicz, the coach continued, should be proud of the legacy they leave behind.

They were freshmen, on the varsity team, the first time Watersprings qualified for the state tournament. The team went 86-19 while they were there, 64-14 when they started, and won their first two state trophies with them as starters — consolation in 2025 and third place this year.

Nelson and Demkowicz have created a legacy.

Nelson, Bindenagel said, has already left his impression on the future of Watersprings basketball.

“If you go talk to our middle schoolers, who go to our games or come watch our practice after school from time to time, you’ll get a perfect idea of what he’s built. You’ll see kids like, ‘Man, I want to play just like Korban,'” Bindenagel said, adding that youngsters will ask to practice with the varsity team just so they can share the court with the senior. “It helps to really start to build a legacy in a program.”

Nelson hopes that part of that legacy is the expectation of playing at state and competing with the top teams.