A dream come true for any college basketball player, but for a Wyoming Cowboy? It hasn’t happened since 1995 – being drafted into the NBA.

For Larry Nance Jr. that dream became reality as he was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers tonight as the 27th pick in the first round of the NBA draft. Nance was a major force last year as a Senior for the Cowboys as he led them to their first Mountain West Championship in 13 years. He plays with high-energy and knows how to bring the ball to the hoop, one of the players who helped get Laramie, WY known as “Dunk Town, USA” this past season (view video).

Larry, who was chosen as a “Top NBA Draft Sleeper” recently by many sports media outlets, follows his father’s footsteps into the NBA as Larry Nance Sr. played for 13 seasons (1981-1994).

“This means the world to me,” Nance said. “All the hard work that has been put in and the time and the effort. Just to hear my name called was surreal. It hasn’t set in yet. And the Lakers are such a historic franchise. Hopefully I can come in with the other guys that were drafted and continue that culture. I’m excited to see what the next step has in store for me.”

Nance as a Cowboy

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 graduated with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

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. (press release by University of Wyoming Basketball)

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