Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Wyoming’s Larry Nance Jr. on track to return this fall from ACL tear

Larry Nance Jr., Cameron Bairstow

Larry Nance (AP Photo)

AP

On Feb. 18, Wyoming improved to 8-5 in the Mountain West Conference.

The 72-66 win over Fresno State took a backseat to an injury Larry Nance Jr. suffered in the opening minutes of the second half. The team’s top scorer tore was lost for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Wyoming’s offense struggled with Nance in the lineup, but without him, the Cowboys dropped four straight, and six out of their last seven games to close out the season.

In an interview with Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, Wyoming head coach Larry Shyatt said he anticipates Nance be ready for the start of practice this fall.

“I do expect him back,” Shyatt told Rothstein. “As tough as it was to lose Larry at the time, there was no cartilage damage and no [permanent] ligament damage to the ACL. He was literally able to start rehabbing the very next day after [surgery]. Unless something goes backwards, I don’t think there should be a problem.”

That is big news for the Cowboys if they are looking to contend in the Mountain West. San Diego State enters the 2014-2015 as the heavy favorite, but right behind the Aztecs shoud be a group of teams jockeying for position in the conference standings. New Mexico, the reigning conference tournament champion, needs to replace three starters, but does have a talented back court duo of Hugh Greenwood and Cullen Neal. Boise State returns its high-scoring guard tandem of Derrick Marks and Anthony Drmic. While UNLV saw Roscoe Smith and Khem Birch declare for the draft, and Bryce Dejean-Jones transfer to Iowa State, Dave Rice brings in one of the nation’s top recruiting classes.

The 6-foot-8 Nance averaged 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.1 blocks and 1.4 steals per game for the Cowboys prior to his season-ending injury.

Follow @terrence_payne