Is it fair to question if Larry Nance Jr. is overrated?

[LanderPoke]

Agree with Cowduck. Anybody that doesn't appreciate Nance is either insane, or will regret it heavily next year. One of my favorites all-time. Everything we could ever ask for.

While Nance is even more important than Ewing, it reminds me of people posting we would be better off without Ewing because we would have a "true" pg in Luster.

OT: Was Luster DPOY?

 

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

Here's a shocker:

Nance makes MWC 1st-team on both the offensive and defensive ends. Marvelle Harris and JJ O'Brien also accomplished the feat. Derrick Marks? Nance was also voted co-Defensive Player of the Year. Now, I guess all Larry has to do to please the crowd is improve his one-on-two offensive abilities on the block when opponents (smartly) double-down on him.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/575332736027623425[/tweet]

http://trib.com/sports/college/wyom...cle_b5943a9e-203f-53ba-b5ed-7396dfa5a5cf.html

This whole fucking thread has been asinine for two very important reasons, and this highlights one of them. Last I checked, about half the time in a basketball game your team doesn't have the fucking ball, and when Wyoming doesn't have the ball, Larry Nance is absolutely elite. People can nitpick his offensive game or ask questions about his abilities in crunch time, but nobody seems to bother considering his enormous impact on the defensive end. He is bar none the best defensive player Wyoming has had in 25 years. When you add to that his ever-growing offensive contributions, if you think he is "overrated" you're a dipshit plain and simple.

Second, what the fuck is the point of having the "is Nance overrated" conversation immediately AFTER he has played his final regular season game in a Wyoming uniform? You can beat your chest all you want about how on these here message boards, I have a right to criticize and question, blah blah blah. And that's true, you do. But if you're the kind of fan who is going to shit all over the legacy of a player like Larry Nance, who has been EXACTLY the kind of player any program would be proud to have represent it for four years on and off the court, at this point in his career, you have to ask yourself why bother following sports and especially follow college sports. Because to me the "Nance is overrated" camp is representative of unbridled cynicism and entitlement on the part of a fan and that's not how I choose to go through life. If you're anything but grateful for his contributions on and off the court to the program as his career is coming to a close you're just an asshole.

I can't say I disagree with most of this post. What I can disagree with is that he is the best defensive player we've seen in the last 25 years:

Player A: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 956 total rebounds, 140 steals, and 173 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.9 rebounds a game, 1.2 steals per game, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Player B: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 783 total rebounds, 139 steals, and 131 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.4 rebounds per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Player C: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 655 total rebounds, 62 steals, and 425 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.5 rebounds per game, 0.6 steals per game, and 5.1 blocks per game.

One of these three is Nance, two are not. While definitely the best defensive player in the MWC this season, he is not the best we've had in the last 25 years. These other two players accomplished just as much, if not more, than Nance and both played in WAY tougher conferences than he did. One of these players also led his Cowboys team to our ONLY NCAA win in the last 25 years. Don't get me wrong, Nance will forever be one of my favorite players, along with the other two in this post, but he is in no stretch the best we've had. He is a quality big with above average ability on the offensive side and excellent to elite defensive presence.

*This is not meant to demean or bash Larry, just putting the facts out there as to how I base my opinion of his defensive career*

 

[POKE FAN]

Here's a shocker:

Nance makes MWC 1st-team on both the offensive and defensive ends. Marvelle Harris and JJ O'Brien also accomplished the feat. Derrick Marks? Nance was also voted co-Defensive Player of the Year. Now, I guess all Larry has to do to please the crowd is improve his one-on-two offensive abilities on the block when opponents (smartly) double-down on him.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/575332736027623425[/tweet]

http://trib.com/sports/college/wyom...cle_b5943a9e-203f-53ba-b5ed-7396dfa5a5cf.html

This whole fucking thread has been asinine for two very important reasons, and this highlights one of them. Last I checked, about half the time in a basketball game your team doesn't have the fucking ball, and when Wyoming doesn't have the ball, Larry Nance is absolutely elite. People can nitpick his offensive game or ask questions about his abilities in crunch time, but nobody seems to bother considering his enormous impact on the defensive end. He is bar none the best defensive player Wyoming has had in 25 years. When you add to that his ever-growing offensive contributions, if you think he is "overrated" you're a dipshit plain and simple.

Second, what the fuck is the point of having the "is Nance overrated" conversation immediately AFTER he has played his final regular season game in a Wyoming uniform? You can beat your chest all you want about how on these here message boards, I have a right to criticize and question, blah blah blah. And that's true, you do. But if you're the kind of fan who is going to shit all over the legacy of a player like Larry Nance, who has been EXACTLY the kind of player any program would be proud to have represent it for four years on and off the court, at this point in his career, you have to ask yourself why bother following sports and especially follow college sports. Because to me the "Nance is overrated" camp is representative of unbridled cynicism and entitlement on the part of a fan and that's not how I choose to go through life. If you're anything but grateful for his contributions on and off the court to the program as his career is coming to a close you're just an asshole.

Nance showed his competence on the offensive end. I don't get it. The final MWC stats help to back that up to an extent. What I'm disappointed in is that Larry actually took time to catch his breath on the offensive end on occasion. I mean the guy only averaged 38 minutes per game (1st in the league).

I should have re-phrased the comments above as OVERALL 1st-team and on the defensive end. I'm trying to figure out how I can keep Nance off my all-time starting five at UW. It might be tough. He's at least a 2nd-teamer in my book.

 

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

Here's a shocker:

Nance makes MWC 1st-team on both the offensive and defensive ends. Marvelle Harris and JJ O'Brien also accomplished the feat. Derrick Marks? Nance was also voted co-Defensive Player of the Year. Now, I guess all Larry has to do to please the crowd is improve his one-on-two offensive abilities on the block when opponents (smartly) double-down on him.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/575332736027623425[/tweet]

http://trib.com/sports/college/wyom...cle_b5943a9e-203f-53ba-b5ed-7396dfa5a5cf.html

This whole fucking thread has been asinine for two very important reasons, and this highlights one of them. Last I checked, about half the time in a basketball game your team doesn't have the fucking ball, and when Wyoming doesn't have the ball, Larry Nance is absolutely elite. People can nitpick his offensive game or ask questions about his abilities in crunch time, but nobody seems to bother considering his enormous impact on the defensive end. He is bar none the best defensive player Wyoming has had in 25 years. When you add to that his ever-growing offensive contributions, if you think he is "overrated" you're a dipshit plain and simple.

Second, what the fuck is the point of having the "is Nance overrated" conversation immediately AFTER he has played his final regular season game in a Wyoming uniform? You can beat your chest all you want about how on these here message boards, I have a right to criticize and question, blah blah blah. And that's true, you do. But if you're the kind of fan who is going to shit all over the legacy of a player like Larry Nance, who has been EXACTLY the kind of player any program would be proud to have represent it for four years on and off the court, at this point in his career, you have to ask yourself why bother following sports and especially follow college sports. Because to me the "Nance is overrated" camp is representative of unbridled cynicism and entitlement on the part of a fan and that's not how I choose to go through life. If you're anything but grateful for his contributions on and off the court to the program as his career is coming to a close you're just an asshole.

Nance showed his competence on the offensive end. I don't get it. The final MWC stats help to back that up to an extent. What I'm disappointed in is that Larry actually took time to catch his breath on the offensive end on occasion. I mean the guy only averaged 38 minutes per game (1st in the league).

I should have re-phrased the comments above as OVERALL 1st-team and on the defensive end. I'm trying to figure out how I can keep Nance off my all-time starting five at UW. It might be tough. He's at least a 2nd-teamer in my book.

I would put him on my Second Team All UW team. I can't see him first team over the two others referenced in my previous post.

 

[Cowduck]

I can't say I disagree with most of this post. What I can disagree with is that he is the best defensive player we've seen in the last 25 years:

Player A: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 956 total rebounds, 140 steals, and 173 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.9 rebounds a game, 1.2 steals per game, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Player B: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 783 total rebounds, 139 steals, and 131 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.4 rebounds per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Player C: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 655 total rebounds, 62 steals, and 425 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.5 rebounds per game, 0.6 steals per game, and 5.1 blocks per game.

One of these three is Nance, two are not. While definitely the best defensive player in the MWC this season, he is not the best we've had in the last 25 years. These other two players accomplished just as much, if not more, than Nance and both played in WAY tougher conferences than he did. One of these players also led his Cowboys team to our ONLY NCAA win in the last 25 years. Don't get me wrong, Nance will forever be one of my favorite players, along with the other two in this post, but he is in no stretch one of the best we've ever had. He is a quality big with above average ability on the offensive side and excellent to elite defensive presence.

*This is not meant to demean or bash Larry, just putting the facts out there as to how I base my opinion of his defensive career*

You make a fair point re: Theo, but there's more to defending than help-side blocks. But I can concede that he had a better career on the defensive side than Larry.

Josh Davis was definitely not a better defender than Nance, however. His numbers may stack up, but a) they're not pace-adjusted, and b) you would never have said during Davis's career that our entire team identity is based around team defense and that Josh Davis is the key player in that defensive scheme.

 

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

I can't say I disagree with most of this post. What I can disagree with is that he is the best defensive player we've seen in the last 25 years:

Player A: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 956 total rebounds, 140 steals, and 173 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.9 rebounds a game, 1.2 steals per game, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Player B: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 783 total rebounds, 139 steals, and 131 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.4 rebounds per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Player C: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 655 total rebounds, 62 steals, and 425 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.5 rebounds per game, 0.6 steals per game, and 5.1 blocks per game.

One of these three is Nance, two are not. While definitely the best defensive player in the MWC this season, he is not the best we've had in the last 25 years. These other two players accomplished just as much, if not more, than Nance and both played in WAY tougher conferences than he did. One of these players also led his Cowboys team to our ONLY NCAA win in the last 25 years. Don't get me wrong, Nance will forever be one of my favorite players, along with the other two in this post, but he is in no stretch one of the best we've ever had. He is a quality big with above average ability on the offensive side and excellent to elite defensive presence.

*This is not meant to demean or bash Larry, just putting the facts out there as to how I base my opinion of his defensive career*

You make a fair point re: Theo, but there's more to defending than help-side blocks. But I can concede that he had a better career on the defensive side than Larry.

Josh Davis was definitely not a better defender than Nance, however. His numbers may stack up, but a) they're not pace-adjusted, and b) you would never have said during Davis's career that our entire team identity is based around team defense and that Josh Davis is the key player in that defensive scheme.

I guess I cannot agree with the comments about Davis. He had better defensive stats in almost 350 minutes less game time over his career. While I think Ugo and/or Uche were the defensive linch pin of those teams, saying Davis wasn't important is hard to swallow. What I love the most about Davis, he had the killer instinct on both sides of the ball. That is certainly not a defensive metric that can be measured, but it is equally important. I think the biggest complaint of LNJr is that he didn't take games over when he obviously could have. JD did have that desire and honestly Adams reminds me a lot of JD in terms of mentality. :twocents:

 

[seattlecowboy]

I already posted my comments. I don't think Larry Nance is over rated what I do think is Shyatt does not utilize him the right way. He needs to spend more time down low and less time at the top of the key.

I already know he gets double teamed and all that . Still he needs to spend more time down low because he does us no good at the top of the key. He is great passer for a big man and he is better off getting force fed the ball down low where he can either score, get fouled or get an assist.

 

[Wyolie Coyote]

I can't say I disagree with most of this post. What I can disagree with is that he is the best defensive player we've seen in the last 25 years:

Player A: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 956 total rebounds, 140 steals, and 173 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.9 rebounds a game, 1.2 steals per game, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Player B: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 783 total rebounds, 139 steals, and 131 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.4 rebounds per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Player C: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 655 total rebounds, 62 steals, and 425 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.5 rebounds per game, 0.6 steals per game, and 5.1 blocks per game.

One of these three is Nance, two are not. While definitely the best defensive player in the MWC this season, he is not the best we've had in the last 25 years. These other two players accomplished just as much, if not more, than Nance and both played in WAY tougher conferences than he did. One of these players also led his Cowboys team to our ONLY NCAA win in the last 25 years. Don't get me wrong, Nance will forever be one of my favorite players, along with the other two in this post, but he is in no stretch one of the best we've ever had. He is a quality big with above average ability on the offensive side and excellent to elite defensive presence.

*This is not meant to demean or bash Larry, just putting the facts out there as to how I base my opinion of his defensive career*

You make a fair point re: Theo, but there's more to defending than help-side blocks. But I can concede that he had a better career on the defensive side than Larry.

Josh Davis was definitely not a better defender than Nance, however. His numbers may stack up, but a) they're not pace-adjusted, and b) you would never have said during Davis's career that our entire team identity is based around team defense and that Josh Davis is the key player in that defensive scheme.

I guess I cannot agree with the comments about Davis. He had better defensive stats in almost 350 minutes less game time over his career. While I think Ugo and/or Uche were the defensive linch pin of those teams, saying Davis wasn't important is hard to swallow. What I love the most about Davis, he had the killer instinct on both sides of the ball. That is certainly not a defensive metric that can be measured, but it is equally important. I think the biggest complaint of LNJr is that he didn't take games over when he obviously could have. JD did have that desire and honestly Adams reminds me a lot of JD in terms of mentality. :twocents:

You should probably go back and review some box scores on Davis. He disappeared many times, did not always have that killer instinct. Sure when he did have it he was a monster but he was very passive at times also. We all remember the times when he dominated a game, but there were plenty of times his performance was forgetful.

 

[Cowduck]

I can't say I disagree with most of this post. What I can disagree with is that he is the best defensive player we've seen in the last 25 years:

Player A: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 956 total rebounds, 140 steals, and 173 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.9 rebounds a game, 1.2 steals per game, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Player B: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 783 total rebounds, 139 steals, and 131 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.4 rebounds per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Player C: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 655 total rebounds, 62 steals, and 425 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.5 rebounds per game, 0.6 steals per game, and 5.1 blocks per game.

One of these three is Nance, two are not. While definitely the best defensive player in the MWC this season, he is not the best we've had in the last 25 years. These other two players accomplished just as much, if not more, than Nance and both played in WAY tougher conferences than he did. One of these players also led his Cowboys team to our ONLY NCAA win in the last 25 years. Don't get me wrong, Nance will forever be one of my favorite players, along with the other two in this post, but he is in no stretch one of the best we've ever had. He is a quality big with above average ability on the offensive side and excellent to elite defensive presence.

*This is not meant to demean or bash Larry, just putting the facts out there as to how I base my opinion of his defensive career*

You make a fair point re: Theo, but there's more to defending than help-side blocks. But I can concede that he had a better career on the defensive side than Larry.

Josh Davis was definitely not a better defender than Nance, however. His numbers may stack up, but a) they're not pace-adjusted, and b) you would never have said during Davis's career that our entire team identity is based around team defense and that Josh Davis is the key player in that defensive scheme.

I guess I cannot agree with the comments about Davis. He had better defensive stats in almost 350 minutes less game time over his career. While I think Ugo and/or Uche were the defensive linch pin of those teams, saying Davis wasn't important is hard to swallow. What I love the most about Davis, he had the killer instinct on both sides of the ball. That is certainly not a defensive metric that can be measured, but it is equally important. I think the biggest complaint of LNJr is that he didn't take games over when he obviously could have. JD did have that desire and honestly Adams reminds me a lot of JD in terms of mentality. :twocents:

Again, Davis's teams played at a higher pace than Nance's, so evaluating them on a per-possession basis skews the stats in Nance's favor. In their senior seasons alone Davis's opponents attempted over 200 more FG than Nance's. That means more opportunities to block shots, steal the ball, get defensive rebounds, etc. I'm not discounting Davis's career and he and Nance have had similar careers in a lot of ways, I'm just saying that Nance is the better defensive player. I would disagree that Nance had any less fire in his belly than Davis, he just isn't as demonstrative about it. And although we were generally talking about defensive contributions, if you want to talk about crunch time offense, by and large Davis didn't have the ball in his hands in those situations, Marcus Bailey did. Nance has been the go-to guy for Wyoming down the stretch this season and last and our opponents know it. Sometimes it's worked out, sometimes it hasn't, but their roles are not similar in that respect.

Davis was a great Cowboy so don't get me wrong, I loved that guy. Overall as players it's a close call as to who had the better career, but if I was building a team premised around keeping the other team from scoring, I'd take Nance by a hair.

 

[POKE FAN]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/575382963161948160[/tweet]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/mikevorel/status/575383287146766337[/tweet]

 

[ItSucksToBeACSURam]

I can't say I disagree with most of this post. What I can disagree with is that he is the best defensive player we've seen in the last 25 years:

Player A: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 956 total rebounds, 140 steals, and 173 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.9 rebounds a game, 1.2 steals per game, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Player B: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 783 total rebounds, 139 steals, and 131 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.4 rebounds per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Player C: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 655 total rebounds, 62 steals, and 425 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.5 rebounds per game, 0.6 steals per game, and 5.1 blocks per game.

One of these three is Nance, two are not. While definitely the best defensive player in the MWC this season, he is not the best we've had in the last 25 years. These other two players accomplished just as much, if not more, than Nance and both played in WAY tougher conferences than he did. One of these players also led his Cowboys team to our ONLY NCAA win in the last 25 years. Don't get me wrong, Nance will forever be one of my favorite players, along with the other two in this post, but he is in no stretch one of the best we've ever had. He is a quality big with above average ability on the offensive side and excellent to elite defensive presence.

*This is not meant to demean or bash Larry, just putting the facts out there as to how I base my opinion of his defensive career*

You make a fair point re: Theo, but there's more to defending than help-side blocks. But I can concede that he had a better career on the defensive side than Larry.

Josh Davis was definitely not a better defender than Nance, however. His numbers may stack up, but a) they're not pace-adjusted, and b) you would never have said during Davis's career that our entire team identity is based around team defense and that Josh Davis is the key player in that defensive scheme.

I guess I cannot agree with the comments about Davis. He had better defensive stats in almost 350 minutes less game time over his career. While I think Ugo and/or Uche were the defensive linch pin of those teams, saying Davis wasn't important is hard to swallow. What I love the most about Davis, he had the killer instinct on both sides of the ball. That is certainly not a defensive metric that can be measured, but it is equally important. I think the biggest complaint of LNJr is that he didn't take games over when he obviously could have. JD did have that desire and honestly Adams reminds me a lot of JD in terms of mentality. :twocents:

Again, Davis's teams played at a higher pace than Nance's, so evaluating them on a per-possession basis skews the stats in Nance's favor. In their senior seasons alone Davis's opponents attempted over 200 more FG than Nance's. That means more opportunities to block shots, steal the ball, get defensive rebounds, etc. I'm not discounting Davis's career and he and Nance have had similar careers in a lot of ways, I'm just saying that Nance is the better defensive player. I would disagree that Nance had any less fire in his belly than Davis, he just isn't as demonstrative about it. And although we were generally talking about defensive contributions, if you want to talk about crunch time offense, by and large Davis didn't have the ball in his hands in those situations, Marcus Bailey did. Nance has been the go-to guy for Wyoming down the stretch this season and last and our opponents know it. Sometimes it's worked out, sometimes it hasn't, but their roles are not similar in that respect.

Davis was a great Cowboy so don't get me wrong, I loved that guy. Overall as players it's a close call as to who had the better career, but if I was building a team premised around keeping the other team from scoring, I'd take Nance by a hair.

Great post. I understand what you're saying. I think the above poster also hit a important note that Larry may very well be hindered in the design of his role. On a team like McClain's Larry may have had a much different career. It is hard to say. Either way, I will miss Larry as I still miss Josh Davis. Best or not, I have greatly enjoyed Larry Nance Jr. as a Wyoming Cowboy

 

[NowherePoke]

Agree with Cowduck. Anybody that doesn't appreciate Nance is either insane, or will regret it heavily next year. One of my favorites all-time. Everything we could ever ask for.

While Nance is even more important than Ewing, it reminds me of people posting we would be better off without Ewing because we would have a "true" pg in Luster.

OT: Was Luster DPOY?

Yes, his senior season, Shyatt's first during his second tenure at UW. Still Shyatt's best defensive team too, despite it being just his first season and using mostly Schroyer players.

 

[djm19]

Nance does so much that doesn't show up on a stat sheet. He does need to gain some lbs though if he wants a chance at the next level.

 

[NowherePoke]

I can't say I disagree with most of this post. What I can disagree with is that he is the best defensive player we've seen in the last 25 years:

Player A: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 956 total rebounds, 140 steals, and 173 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.9 rebounds a game, 1.2 steals per game, and 1.5 blocks per game.

Player B: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 783 total rebounds, 139 steals, and 131 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.4 rebounds per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Player C: Career spanned 4 seasons at UW, finished with 655 total rebounds, 62 steals, and 425 blocks. His senior season he averaged 7.5 rebounds per game, 0.6 steals per game, and 5.1 blocks per game.

One of these three is Nance, two are not. While definitely the best defensive player in the MWC this season, he is not the best we've had in the last 25 years. These other two players accomplished just as much, if not more, than Nance and both played in WAY tougher conferences than he did. One of these players also led his Cowboys team to our ONLY NCAA win in the last 25 years. Don't get me wrong, Nance will forever be one of my favorite players, along with the other two in this post, but he is in no stretch one of the best we've ever had. He is a quality big with above average ability on the offensive side and excellent to elite defensive presence.

*This is not meant to demean or bash Larry, just putting the facts out there as to how I base my opinion of his defensive career*

You make a fair point re: Theo, but there's more to defending than help-side blocks. But I can concede that he had a better career on the defensive side than Larry.

Josh Davis was definitely not a better defender than Nance, however. His numbers may stack up, but a) they're not pace-adjusted, and b) you would never have said during Davis's career that our entire team identity is based around team defense and that Josh Davis is the key player in that defensive scheme.

I guess I cannot agree with the comments about Davis. He had better defensive stats in almost 350 minutes less game time over his career. While I think Ugo and/or Uche were the defensive linch pin of those teams, saying Davis wasn't important is hard to swallow. What I love the most about Davis, he had the killer instinct on both sides of the ball. That is certainly not a defensive metric that can be measured, but it is equally important. I think the biggest complaint of LNJr is that he didn't take games over when he obviously could have. JD did have that desire and honestly Adams reminds me a lot of JD in terms of mentality. :twocents:

Again, Davis's teams played at a higher pace than Nance's, so evaluating them on a per-possession basis skews the stats in Nance's favor. In their senior seasons alone Davis's opponents attempted over 200 more FG than Nance's. That means more opportunities to block shots, steal the ball, get defensive rebounds, etc. I'm not discounting Davis's career and he and Nance have had similar careers in a lot of ways, I'm just saying that Nance is the better defensive player. I would disagree that Nance had any less fire in his belly than Davis, he just isn't as demonstrative about it. And although we were generally talking about defensive contributions, if you want to talk about crunch time offense, by and large Davis didn't have the ball in his hands in those situations, Marcus Bailey did. Nance has been the go-to guy for Wyoming down the stretch this season and last and our opponents know it. Sometimes it's worked out, sometimes it hasn't, but their roles are not similar in that respect.

Davis was a great Cowboy so don't get me wrong, I loved that guy. Overall as players it's a close call as to who had the better career, but if I was building a team premised around keeping the other team from scoring, I'd take Nance by a hair.

Also, in terms of rebounding numbers, keep in mind that Shyatt does not want his team attacking the offensive glass. Nance is an elite level Defensive Rebounder (among the Top 100 players in the country each of the last two years in DR%) but not on the offensive end by design.

 

[stymeman]

I already posted my comments. I don't think Larry Nance is over rated what I do think is Shyatt does not utilize him the right way. He needs to spend more time down low and less time at the top of the key.

I already know he gets double teamed and all that . Still he needs to spend more time down low because he does us no good at the top of the key. He is great passer for a big man and he is better off getting force fed the ball down low where he can either score, get fouled or get an assist.

two games i attended where Larry was at the top of the key and man handled were both losses and i was at both
@SMU and @New Mexico, all others he was more low and more of a factor so i can see your points, when there was more physicallity he kinda slacked off somewhat, just my observation

 

[BeaverPoke]

So Nance is a 2x 1st team MWC, 2x 1st team defense MWC, and 1x MWC D-POY

Was he honorable mention or 2nd team his sophomore year? 3x all MWC would be a big deal.

 

[seattlecowboy]

I already posted my comments. I don't think Larry Nance is over rated what I do think is Shyatt does not utilize him the right way. He needs to spend more time down low and less time at the top of the key.

I already know he gets double teamed and all that . Still he needs to spend more time down low because he does us no good at the top of the key. He is great passer for a big man and he is better off getting force fed the ball down low where he can either score, get fouled or get an assist.

two games i attended where Larry was at the top of the key and man handled were both losses and i was at both
@SMU and @New Mexico, all others he was more low and more of a factor so i can see your points, when there was more physicallity he kinda slacked off somewhat, just my observation

Well my point wasn't that Nance just goes to the top of the key himself. It was more of the fact that because of the offense Shyatt runs and how he runs it that it makes Nance have to go stand at the top of the key a lot and I think that is a huge mistake. Anyways doesn't matter. Hopefully they added some new wrinkles to the offense for the MWC tournament.

 

[DocHolliday]

I be loving me some Larry Nance Jr.

For those of you incapable of reading and interpreted only as you chose to -- I feel you argued back and upheld the valor of young Mr. Nance admirably.

I commend you for the staunch and unrelenting defense -- as I'd expect nothing less from the Cowboys faithful.

Go Pokes!

 

[joshvanklomp]

Nope

 

[DocHolliday]

He's a good player...