Larry Nance Jr. felt more than pain as he watched the last Wyoming men's basketball game from the bench.
"It was definitely frustrating," he said Monday.
He hopes he won't have to feel it again.
After Nance was held out of Wyoming's 68-61 loss to Boise State on Saturday due to a lingering right wrist injury, all signs are pointing toward the sophomore forward returning to action this week.
Wyoming (16-7, 2-7 MW) plays Nevada (12-11, 3-6 MW) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Nance spoke about the injury for the first time this week, describing the incident that took place in the final minutes of Wyoming's win against non-conference opponent Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 6.
"I called for the ball at the top of the key, took two dribbles and took off to dunk or finish above the rim," he said. "A kid slid under me and tried to take a charge. My legs got flipped up underneath me. Instead of landing on my face, I broke the fall with my wrists. The right one took the most of that blow."
UW has declined to discuss specifics on the exact diagnosis of Nance's injury, something serious enough to cause him to miss a start for the first time all year.
"At Boise, we thought it would be best to let it rest a little bit," Nance said.
On Monday, UW coach Larry Shyatt said Nance was day-to-day heading into the Nevada game. Nance seemed a bit more optimistic.
"It's definitely starting to feel better," he said "We're hoping for the best."
More important than his words were his actions.
On Saturday, Nance warmed up with his right wrist taped before sitting on the bench for the entirety of the game. He could not flex his right wrist up or down, didn't shoot with it during pregame and avoided all high fives from teammates.
On Monday, Nance -- whose wrist was still taped for practice -- had a full range of motion in his right hand, used it to dunk during practice and offered a hand shake without a sign of a grimace.
That's good news for UW.
"It was definitely frustrating," he said Monday.
He hopes he won't have to feel it again.
After Nance was held out of Wyoming's 68-61 loss to Boise State on Saturday due to a lingering right wrist injury, all signs are pointing toward the sophomore forward returning to action this week.
Wyoming (16-7, 2-7 MW) plays Nevada (12-11, 3-6 MW) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Nance spoke about the injury for the first time this week, describing the incident that took place in the final minutes of Wyoming's win against non-conference opponent Cal State Bakersfield on Feb. 6.
"I called for the ball at the top of the key, took two dribbles and took off to dunk or finish above the rim," he said. "A kid slid under me and tried to take a charge. My legs got flipped up underneath me. Instead of landing on my face, I broke the fall with my wrists. The right one took the most of that blow."
UW has declined to discuss specifics on the exact diagnosis of Nance's injury, something serious enough to cause him to miss a start for the first time all year.
"At Boise, we thought it would be best to let it rest a little bit," Nance said.
On Monday, UW coach Larry Shyatt said Nance was day-to-day heading into the Nevada game. Nance seemed a bit more optimistic.
"It's definitely starting to feel better," he said "We're hoping for the best."
More important than his words were his actions.
On Saturday, Nance warmed up with his right wrist taped before sitting on the bench for the entirety of the game. He could not flex his right wrist up or down, didn't shoot with it during pregame and avoided all high fives from teammates.
On Monday, Nance -- whose wrist was still taped for practice -- had a full range of motion in his right hand, used it to dunk during practice and offered a hand shake without a sign of a grimace.
That's good news for UW.
