Mountain West Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

22. Larry Nance Jr.

A 6’8 forward from Akron, Nance made his way to the MWC by way of Wyoming back in 2011. He had decent numbers off the bench as a freshman before taking on a more solid role with the Cowboys as a sophomore, though today’s focus is on the most recent decade. That means we’re starting with Nance’s junior year, but his final two years were him at his best.

Nance averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 rebounds in a junior year where he took a solid step forward for the Cowboys. He became one of the best frontcourt pieces in the MWC and had a 38-point performance against Denver in nonconference play. During his senior year, he not only put up impressive numbers, but he also led Wyoming to the MWC Tournament title and a trip to the Big Dance, putting up 16 points against Northern Iowa in the final game of his career.

For those final two years, Nance was named First Team All-MWC, developing into one of the league’s best all-around players. He also brought home the MWC Defensive Player of the Year award as a senior in a season where he finished 5th in both points and rebounds as well. Nance’s involvement in that run to the Big Dance is the clearly headliner of his time at Wyoming and it helped turn him into a first-round NBA draft pick in 2015.