Wyoming’s Nance Invited To NBA Combine

Wyoming’s Larry Nance Jr. has received an invitation to the NBA’s Draft Combine in Chicago on May 12-17. He is the first Cowboy to participate in the event since Theo Ratliff in 1995.

The invite-only NBA Draft Combine is a showcase where players perform various athletic feats for league personnel, as well as medical tests and interviews. The on-court elements of this year’s combine are scheduled for May 14-15 and will be televised on ESPN2. Around 60 players in consideration for the NBA Draft usually attend. The 2015 NBA draft will be held on June 25 in New York City and will be televised by ESPN.

Nance capped his career at Wyoming this spring by leading the Pokes to a 25-10 overall record for the program’s first-ever Mountain West tournament title and first NCAA Championships appearance since 2002. The 6-8, 235-pound forward paced the Cowboys at 16.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, while adding 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals. His 51 percent from the field was third in the MW and 60th in the NCAA. He notched seven double-doubles during the season, including 10 games with 20-or-more points. For his efforts, Nance was named to the All-MW First Team, All-Defensive Team, All-Tournament Team and the MW’s co-Defensive Player of the Year. He is currently training in Chicago while he finishes his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice online.

For his career, Nance finished 16th in Wyoming history in points (1,386), ninth in rebounds (807), fifth in blocks (135), fifth in steals (141), eighth in games played (123) and 13th in games started (90). He accrued 63 games with double-figure points, including 17 20-point games, and 18 double-doubles.

Wyoming has had 27 Cowboys taken in the NBA draft, including Theo Ratliff most recently. He was selected with the 18th pick in the first round of the 1995 draft by the Detroit Pistons. Bill Garnett is the highest Cowboy ever drafted after he was picked fourth in the first round by the Dallas Mavericks in the 1982 draft. Nance’s father, Larry Nance Sr., played his collegiate career for Clemson and was drafted with the 20th pick of the first round by the Phoenix Suns in 1981.