North Carolina Basketball: 3 potential takeaways if Tar Heels land Pete Nance
By Joey Loose
Even though we’re nearing the middle of June, there’s still plenty of activity and intrigue in this college basketball offseason. There are still a lot of names in the Transfer Portal, even as a majority of rosters start to find some semblance and stability. There are still some very quality players in the Portal, with Pete Nance certainly standing out as one of the best that remain.
Nance entered the Transfer Portal after spending the last four seasons at Northwestern. Originally a top 100 recruit from Akron, Ohio, Nance played a supporting role for the Wildcats his freshman year and then spent much of next three seasons in the starting lineup. He was a valuable piece at power forward who got a bit better with each passing season in Chris Collins’ system, but this past year was certainly his best.
Nance averaged 14.6 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, his second straight year averaging double-digit points for the Wildcats. He’s made over 100 3-pointers in his career, making 42 with a sharp 45% clip this past year. Additionally, he’s shot more than 50% overall and has watched his offensive numbers continue to increase with each passing year. He’s an efficient weapon that keeps getting better and better and has one last year to prove himself.
It was just under two months ago when Nance declared for the NBA Draft and entered the portal, though he clearly withdrew from the Draft process a few weeks ago. His recruitment is starting to heat up, with several schools certainly interested in a big with his skills. Among those potential suitors sits North Carolina, the school he’ll pay a visit to very soon. When you consider the circumstances, could Nance be the dream fit for North Carolina and vice versa?
We’re going to take a look at where things would stand if Nance commits to North Carolina, particularly at what he would bring to this Tar Heels program next season. With what these Tar Heels have recently done and are bringing back next year, the addition of Nance could be the catalyst for some very big waves.