Larry Nance Named Karl Malone Award Finalist

Larry Nance Jr.'s contribution to the University of Wyoming men's basketball team has not gone unnoticed. The Wyoming senior has been named a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame's Karl Malone Award. Named after Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor in its inaugural year recognizes the top power forwards in NCAA Division I. This is even after missing a number of games due to illness. "Nance has helped the Cowboys to a 20-6 overall record, including 9-4 in conference play, to sit second in the Mountain West standings. He paces the Pokes at 16.3 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game, while shooting 55 percent from the field. He ranks in the MW's top 10 in eight categories and the NCAA's top 50 in field-goal percentage and defensive rebounds. Nance is joined on the current list by fellow MW representative Christian Wood of UNLV." On March 9th, the current list of 16 finalists will be narrowed down to five players. At that time a fan vote will be made available on the award's official website HoopHallAwards.com, where fans can choose who they think should win. The player who wins the fan vote will receive one additional vote when the final five in contention for the award are presented to Malone and the Hall of Fame's selection committee.