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CHAPEL HILL – The recent norm for Pete Nance during North Carolina’s warmups before games has been to stand around the perimeter, dribble the ball some, talk with teammates, and even get up a shot or two. That was it.
But when Nance was involved in the stretching, limbering, and full-on in the Tar Heels’ drills preceding Tuesday night’s game versus Boston College, it was not only clear his bad back was feeling much better, but that he might play.
Nobody outside the team knew at the time, but Nance was preparing to play for the first time since leaving a win over Wake Forest two weeks ago less than two minutes after it started. Time tables with lower back injuries are never etched in stone, so while Nance looked no closer to playing during pre-game at Louisville a few days ago than when he suffered the injury, he was ready to roll in the 72-64 victory over the Eagles at the Smith Center.
“I knew before warmups I was going to play,” he said. “It was something I wanted to be super cautious with, because it was something that needed to heal, so being able to sit out the past couple of games, and the past couple of days being completely pain free, I got to practice, and it’s felt great.”
Nance originally injured his back lunging for the ball after one of Pittsburgh’s players swatted it away on December 30. He started several nights later against the Demon Deacons, but he tweaked it when driving to the basket the first time he touched the ball. Nance left the game with 18:12 left in the first half, and hadn’t played until tonight.
"It was great,” UNC Coach Hubert Davis said. “We need Pete, he's another big that can do a number of things out there on the floor and on both ends. I was very happy that he was back in the lineup.”
Carolina (13-6, 5-3 ACC) fans were, too, as Nance drained 3-pointers at the 18:07 and 16:02 marks scoring six of UNC’s first eight points. Perhaps more interesting was gauging the lengths of time Nance was on the floor. He didn’t sub out the first time until 11:11 remained in the half. He went back in with 6:27 remaining before halftime, and played until the intermission.
He subbed out in the second half with 13:49 left, and was back in at the 9:03 mark and remained in the game the rest of the way.
In Nance’s two stints on the bench, he wore a wrap around his mid-section to keep the lower back warm. This was the first time he’d tried it, as Nance said it wasn’t necessary in practice because breaks are usually just a minute or two long.
“Being able to use that heated brace really helped a lot,” said Nance. “I was fortunate enough to stay loose the whole game.”
In addition, Nance sat next to 6-foot-10 freshman Jalen Washington when on the bench, and though the veteran is only an inch taller, he soared over Washington sitting there.
“I had a couple of pads I was sitting on just to keep my legs from lifting my knees up higher sitting in a low chair,” Nance said, before a reporter joked it was like former Bulls and Lakers Coach Phil Jackson or even Lebron James, something both have used in the past. Nance laughed, liking the comparison.
The Tar Heels next play Saturday at home versus NC State, so Nance will work to keep the back feeling loose and well, even with Wednesday being a day off.
“Just getting in there working on my mobility, stretching, some cupping, stuff like that,” he said.
Nance played 30 minutes Tuesday scoring six points, grabbing five rebounds, and handing out an assist. But the numbers really don’t matter, at least not tonight. He was back in the lineup, and to Nance, his teammates, and his coach, that’s all that mattered.
*Nance warming up before the game below...
