CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- Troy Bell says he knew how good Jameer Nelson was, even if Nelson wasn't getting half the publicity he did a year ago.

He's getting the same notice as Bell this season.

	Saint Joseph point guard Jameer Nelson rises above Troy Bell of Boston College for two of his 22 points Saturday.

All Bell had to do was think back two summers to when he and Nelson shared the point with Duke's Chris Duhon and Michigan State's Marcus Taylor for Team USA. The four point guards led Team USA to the gold medal at the World Championships for Young Men in Japan.

When Bell came back stateside, he told anyone who would listen that Nelson and Connecticut's Caron Butler were the two surprise players who were ready to bust out with even better sophomore seasons.

Butler did, leading the Huskies to the Elite Eight, and ultimately was the 10th choice in the NBA draft last June. Nelson followed up his national freshman-of-the-year season with a sophomore year that was better statistically but his team floundered and missed the NCAAs after making the second round the previous season.

So, everyone it seemed, forgot about Nelson prior to this, his junior season -- except Bell and Boston College.

And, now, no one else better sleep on Nelson in the Atlantic 10 or on Saint Joseph's schedule. Nor should any person ranking the top point guards in the country.

Nelson is as much of an impact point guard, and we stress the words point guard, as Alabama's Mo Williams, Arizona's Jason Gardner, Texas' T.J. Ford, Oregon's Luke Ridnour, Pittsburgh's Brandin Knight, Duke's Duhon, Maryland's Steve Blake or Indiana's Tom Coverdale. You can argue whether he's as good a shooter, ball-handler, or even ultimately a pro, but the debate is over if the discussion is whether he's as talented a true point guard who can impact the game.

Nelson gave as dominant a performance at the point Saturday night in shocking the Eagles in the opener for both teams. Nelson's numbers in the Hawks' 85-58 thumping weren't the only impressive nuggets. He scored a game-high 22 points, made eight of 15 shots, four of eight 3s, grabbed five rebounds and had eight assists.

But ...

"He just kept getting guys open,'' said Bell, who was a disastrous 2-for-14, 0-for-6 on 3s in his senior-season debut.

"Most of the point guards that play basketball try to score and not set anybody up,'' Nelson said. "My No. 1 thing is to set everybody up and maybe shoot or play harder or get everybody going to do a good job.

"Everybody plays off of me and respects me on the team as the leader,'' Nelson said. "I've got to step it up and do something.''

But it was the timeliness of everything Nelson did that mattered most. He created shots for sophomore guard Pat Carroll, who made all five 3s he attempted because he was wide open once the defense slid help toward Nelson. That was just one way he affected the game.

He started out by defending Bell for a few possessions in a stunning pressure defense that Saint Joseph's coach Phil Martelli rarely deploys. He switched with Tyrone Barley so he could save energy at the other end, but the defense -- keyed by the generously listed 6-foot Nelson (we're talking more like 5-9) -- pushed the Eagles into an abysmal start. Nelson made a pull-up 3-pointer to get the Hawks going and then blew by Bell a few possessions later to draw a foul.

The Hawks built a 22-4 lead at one point as Nelson was almost toying with the Eagles. If they rushed him, he just found someone else open. If a shot was needed, then he took it and made it. When Bell actually got a steal, it was the smallest player on the court -- Nelson -- who chased him down and pinned Bell's breakaway layup against the backboard.

Two possessions later, near the end of the first half, Nelson stole the ball off Craig Smith's inbounds pass for BC and flipped it to a teammate, who ultimately missed a shot. At the other end of the court, Nelson missed a jumper, but he was the first one to a loose ball in the middle of the lane and had the sense to tip it to Barley in the corner for a 3-point attempt. That shot was missed but the effort, the quick hands and the court sense made him one step ahead of anyone else on the court.

When the game got tight and BC was down four in the second half: Nelson hit a 3-pointer, then a stop-and-pop jumper, then a baseline runner, then a steal and a flip-back pass for an assist to Bryant, and then a 3-pointer, and within a few minutes the lead was back to 15.

"I got a look from coach and I just shook my head and knew that it meant for me to take over,'' Nelson said.

This wouldn't have happened last season. Nelson deferred too much to Marvin O'Connor, Na'im Crenshaw, Bill Phillips and Damian Reid. He blended into the background with the four senior starters instead of trying to be more assertive. He wasn't a leader of what turned out to be a leaderless crew.

Martelli and Nelson had a few heart-to-heart convos during the summer and again a few weeks ago about this being his team, especially with six newcomers. Martelli didn't need to have the conversation a third time.

"I saw him when he was a senior in high school (at Chester High in Pennsylvania) win the state title with four ordinary guys who aren't playing Division I,'' Martelli said. "They won with his intangibles, not his game alone. The first time I saw him as a junior in high school, he took no shots in the first half in leading his team to the district championship and he was still the most dominant player.

"It's all the small plays he makes,'' Martelli said. "I don't have any idea what he scored tonight. I didn't have to call timeout for him. I knew he would do what he needed to (for Saint Joseph's to win).''

And, yet, for some reason, Nelson didn't make the discussion among top point guards during the preseason. His points rose from 12.5 to 14.4 a game from freshman to sophomore year. His steals declined by 15 from 55 to 40, his 3-point percentage dropped from 37.3 percent to 35.9 percent and his overall field-goal percentage from 46.1 to 43.8 percent.

But did he have a "poor" season as a sophomore? Not really. His team did and he was the scapegoat. Martelli isn't apologizing for last season. But, in a season when the Hawks have essentially no expectations after being a preseason top 10 team in 2001-02, they might be actually better in 2002-03.

Why? Nelson is even tougher and harder to defend at the point. He changes the game when he's on the court. He made Carroll a better shooter Saturday because he got him open. The same is true of 6-11 center Dwayne Jones, guard Delonte West, Barley, forward John Bryant -- the other Hawks who scored seven or more points Saturday. This team has size, shooting (21-for-25 in the second half, 13-for-23 on 3s overall), and quickness to be a contender in the A-10 East with Temple and UMass.

But it won't wash without Nelson. With him, one of the best point guards in the nation (don't even try to debate it), the Hawks will be a pest for anyone on the schedule, and that includes teams like Penn, DePaul and Gonzaga in addition to the A-10.

"It didn't make any sense to me that he wasn't mentioned anywhere,'' Martelli said. "It's a herd mentality. Everyone chases the same thing. The bottom line is that I wouldn't trade him for anybody and I'm a hoopaholic. I watch every game, read all the stuff and he's still the best.''

Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.