The crowd is loud as an opposing player fouls Revere High School junior Pete Nance. He approaches the free throw line, not hearing anything but his thoughts. Before the throws, he dribbles twice, a move he has made routine. He steadies himself and shoots. For Nance, this is a normal experience on the court.

Nance stands out—not only because he is 6’ 8,” but because of the hard work and dedication he devotes to the sport of basketball every day. According to Nance, he does not have an “off season.”

“I try to do something involved with basketball every day, whether it be a full workout, team practice, or just 10 simple free throws. I obviously play basketball for Revere, but I also play for my AAU [Amatuer Athletic Union] team, the Akron Bobcats. After AAU I like to go to the local recreation center to play with the guys who play there. So all of these things give me an abundance of experience and help develop my skills,” Nance said.

Nance has continued these rituals since he can remember and continues to love the sport. Having two older siblings, Larry Jr. and Casey, who also play the sport, he has surrounded himself with the game since a young age. Former NBA player and father of three, Larry Nance, Sr., is supportive of his son as he continues to improve.

“Because he is the youngest, he has had a chance to go through it all at a younger age. I saw Larry [Jr.] go through it, and so we have given [Nance] all of the knowledge and talents . . . for his age, he is really skilled and really has great potential,” Nance, Sr., said.

Another leading figure throughout Nance’s basketball career at Revere High School has been Coach Rahas, a physical education teacher and the Varsity men’s basketball coach. Rahas has coached Nance for three years now and is optimistic about his future. Rahas elaborated on how much he has improved since his freshman year.

“[Nance] is more confident, he is more assertive, and he has grown. Obviously he has gotten taller and has filled out, but even still he has such an upside than what everyone is seeing right now. This is just the tip of the iceberg and it is not even close to what he will become,” Rahas said.

College-basketball bound, Nance has had scouts at nearly every game from a variety of schools including the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, The Ohio State University, the University of Notre Dame and Purdue University. College coaches from far and wide come to AAU games over the summer, and Nance is planning on participating.

Jaynee Nance, mother of three, continues to support her son throughout his basketball career and will continue to support her son if he decides not to play basketball at the collegiate level.

“Hopefully he will get an education. The main goal for him is to be a good person. I want him to be happy. If one day he discovers he would rather be something else and not play basketball, then I am all about that. There are a lot of possibilities out there for a kid like him, so I want him to do what makes him happy,” she said.

While basketball is not his only priority, Nance plans to continue playing his senior year. Rahas further explained what an exceptional player he is.

“[Nance] is a very special player, just like his brother. He is a once-in a-lifetime kind of kid, he is just that good. I have been doing this for a long time— this is my fifteenth year [coaching] here and my twentieth year overall—so I have seen a lot. I am very fortunate and grateful that I had the opportunity to coach two guys who are really good- one in the NBA and the other [who] has a good chance of following in his brother’s footsteps,” Rahas said.

Photos courtesy of Jaynee Nance. Used with permission.
The shot goes in; the crowd roars. Nance does not plan on quitting anytime soon and hopes to continue playing in the future. A long-time basketball player, he is excited for what the future holds and aspires one day to play collegiate level basketball.