Wasn’t a great weekend for Nance at Spiece, but here’s an update with some of his coaches.
Also made public a previously Patreon video of him in HS:
Our old friend Matt D saw him play last week and was not impressed. Of course that was during a very bad stretch of play by Nance so not surprising.
I like his upside. Reminds me a lot of DJ actually who I think is a perfect 4 for our offense/defense.
I’ve seen him play live now 3 times and he is going to be a solid player in about 2-3 years. Kid has a long ways to go before he would be able to hold his own in the big ten. Not saying we shouldn’t take him but that’s what we are looking at here, a project.
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So is DJ a decent comp to you then as he took two years on the bench as well?
That’s the first thing I thought of too - looks like DJ in HS with those blue uni’s and long frame playing on the perimeter.
Nance didn’t play well at Spiece and he hasn’t put up huge scoring numbers at some other events this spring either. He’s a really good passer, long and has potential. I don’t think he’s a top-40 recruit (as Rivals had him ranked), but his best hoops is ahead of him. Unique to pass at his size and also a good/smooth mid-range shooter. Tough to project where he ends up long term IMO. High potential but needs some things to click.
I remember watching Larry Nance Jr. way back (https://vimeo.com/19855763) and I didn’t think he’d end up a pro and that was as a senior. He had the Chron’s issues going on, but it is hard to evaluate Pete without realizing what his brother (and dad) became/were.
I like the comparison of DJ with Nance. Both late bloomers. I think DJ’s athleticism may have seemed better at that stage but Nance’s handle, passing and face up game is more refined then DJ’s at the same stage. Both need or needed to add lots of strength and weight to play against the big boys.
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Yeah, he spent two years talking about how recruiting DJ Wilson was a huge mistake. I’ll take it with a grain of salt.
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Well, I have to say, I loved DJ’s potential and saw it from the start. Matt D and I went at it for weeks about Wilson. Im just not seeing it from Nance. Not writing him off but theres just something about his game I don’t love. Not explosive at all, a bit slow when handling it, not a good shot ect… Its nice he can pass well but thats not really what I look for in a 4 man in our offense. Were not going to play through Nance given what our roster could look like in 2-3 years. And at some point, he needs to produce vs good competition.
Personally, would rather focus our efforts on the other 4’s on the board. Literally any of the others. I really like them all.
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You think every player that Beilein recruits is going to be a superstar. It works both ways.
DJ was much more willing to use his athleticism at that age. Given the elite athleticism of his father and brother, it is hard to imagine Pete does not have at least above average athleticism. He is just not ready to unleash it in his game.
Matts of a feather stick together?
Good grief you guys. Arguing about someone who isn’t even posting here?
Nance has had a couple of mediocre tourneys this spring, that is what it is. I don’t think that takes away from his potential, but it isn’t all production at a higher-level right now (he was playing against better competition at Spiece than at some other events earlier this spring).
That doesn’t need to be some personal argument.
Please. Find me a post where I said DJ would be a superstar. I compared Wagner to Jake Layman. But we have plenty of guys make the NBA under JB, by my count Wagner and Wilson will be 10.
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Not at all. I have disagreed with a lot of his takes before. People are extreme on both ends of the spectrum is all.
Is nance perfect? No
would i want him as the headliner to a class? no
does he appear to have a poor motor? yes
is his production poor against top tier competition? yes
On the other hand, its rare to find 6ft 8+ guys with his skill set. I think people are giving dj a bit to much credit as a prospect. DJ was a very similar player on the aau circuit prior to his sr year. He just had some mixtapes out there that really showed off his strengths and made him appear to be a better prospect than nance. Their body types (skinny and narrow shouldered) and athleticism (dj has improved his athleticism a lot at um) are very similar. Dj didnt really put it all together as prospect until his sr year and even during that he was inconsistent. Nance is a gamble like dj was and you likely wont see anything out of him for at least 2 years like dj but i think its worth taking a gamble on him putting it all together. It’d be great if nance had high level production and a motor but the reality is kids with nances length and skill set that have motors and production are top 20 prospects. Beilein struggles to land prospects at that level, so why not take a kid like nance who has the potential to get to that level.
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Offer sheets are another way of assessing a player. In addition to his presumed top 3 of Michigan, Northwestern, and OSU, 247 lists offers from Clemson, Florida, Purdue, Tennessee, and WVU, That’s a pretty good, varied list for a player who hasn’t done a ton of self-exposure. People sometimes underestimate the combination of skill and height/length.
DJ showed plenty of tools (ball handling/shooting/athleticism/nimbleness) in high school. If I recall DJ just had a ridiculous growth spurt his Soph year that turned heads. Nance is almost UNathletic, dosent shoot it that well/consistently and really hasn’t showed ANYTHING vs good comp. And this is his sr year upcoming/last of AAU.
Gosh I sound like I’m ragging on the kid, thats not my intention. He is skilled in some areas and could be a decent player down the road. It’s just my opinion he’s more of a Northwestern talent vs what I want in AA.
Echoing what someone else said above: Larry JR really boosted his athleticism after high school–much more than most, imo. Although high school Larry JR seemed ahead of high school Pete–I guess I would be inclined to expect a similar boost in Pete’s athleticism…His skill set is obviously very intriguing.
Larry Jr. had what offers between his junior and senior year? He wasn’t even on Michigan’s radar until late in his senior year. Of course, he was also battling Chron’s disease which complicates things.
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