Potential preseason No. 1 team North Carolina has landed Northwestern transfer Pete Nance, the top player available on the men’s basketball portal.
Nance visited Chapel Hill earlier this week and announced his decision via Twitter Saturday afternoon.
Northwest, thanks for everything. Super excited for the next steps.#gotarheels pic.twitter.com/kBcJBmnKnS
— Pete Nance (@peteln22) June 18, 2022
Nance initially entered the NBA draft — and also put his name on the transfer portal — but chose to retire before the early entry deadline to play another year of college basketball. A 6-foot-10 forward, he received an honorable mention from the media as an All-Big Ten last season after averaging 14.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game and 45.2 % shot from 3-point range. He had six 20-point outings, including a 28-point, 14-rebound and 4-assist effort against Maryland in January.
With the departure of Brady Manek, Nance should fit seamlessly into North Carolina’s starting lineup next season. Manek provided energy alongside Armando Bacot leading up to the tar heels while shooting more than 40% from 3 as a 6-9 power forward. Nance, who was No. 7 in the ESPN transfer rankings, will replace his height and shooting.
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Coach Hubert Davis brings back the other four starters from last season’s group who made the national championship game before losing to Kansas. Bacot, Caleb Love, RJ Davis and Leaky Black all opted to return to North Carolina rather than pursue the professional route, and Davis brings three ESPN 100 recruits to add depth to the team.
The Tar Heels were ranked #1 in ESPN’s recent Way-Too-Early Top 25 update.