Then & Now: Larry Florence

Then & Now: Larry Florence

Compiled By Dave Brandon

Larry

Florence played at Nebraska from 1997-2000, and is

fifteenth on the all-time scoring list for the Huskers

with 1,223 points. Florence also ranks third in Nebraska

career starts (105), eighth in games played (123), and

seventh in steals (137).

The former four-year starter and

6’5” forward is the latest Husker Alumni to join HHC for

a Sunday version of “Then & Now.”

HHC: Thanks for

joining us. You had a very successful high school career

at Phenix City High School (Alabama), where you averaged

19.2 PPG and 13.2 RPG as a senior, and earned All-State

Alabama honors before choosing Nebraska. Who else

recruited you besides the Huskers, and what sold you on

Nebraska?

LF: I had a lot of

schools that were offering, but Nebraska, Auburn,

Alabama, and Wake Forest were my top choices.

I chose Lincoln because when I went

there, they were really focused on having me get out of

college with a degree, and I was going to have a one on

one session with a tutor. And also, when I came up there

I met Tyronn (Lue) and we hit it off well and I wanted

to play with him.

Jimmy Williams also played a big

role in me coming there and was the assistant who

recruited me most.

HHC: Did you know

anything about Nebraska Basketball before they started

recruiting you, and what was the perception of Husker

Hoops to you at that time?

LF: Well, I knew it wasn’t a basketball

school, but it was a program that I felt was reaching

toward basketball goals. And I just felt comfortable

when I went there.

The only thing I knew about

Nebraska was football, though, because the only thing we

ever got down here Nebraska related was football, and

never any basketball.

HHC: Your first year

in Lincoln was 1995-1996, and you sat out and attended

classes at Nebraska. Your first season on varsity was

1996-1997, and you started immediately. Talk about what

it meant to you playing right off the bat?

LF: It was really

exciting when coach decided he was going to start me. I

really was excited in getting to play with guys like

Cookie (Belcher) and Tyronn (Lue). I knew I could play

with those guys, even though there had been a lot of

talk about me not being able to adapt to the Division I

level, so I was excited to get that chance and show

everyone what I could do.

HHC: You guys made

the NIT that season, and 1997-1998 would be even better,

as you won 20 games and made the NCAA Tournament playing

against Arkansas. What do you remember about that

season, and how tough of a loss was that game in the

tournament?

LF: You know what?

That was really tough losing to Arkansas, because we had

those guys. We had it won. They actually had folded and

then Coach Nee made some decisions that changed the

outcome of the game, and I was really upset with that

and it stuck with me for quite awhile, because I felt

like we had a great chance to beat them.

HHC: What do you mean

by decisions that changed the outcome of the game?

LF: Substitutions; let’s leave it at that.

HHC: Not a problem. 1998-1999 saw you guys

achieve similar successes to the previous year, as you

again won 20 games and made the NIT. You also went down

to Oklahoma and spanked the Sooners 96-81, but they

still made the NCAA Tournament over you guys. How big of

a travesty was that?

LF: It was hard, but

thinking back about it, they had the upper hand because

they were more known basketball wise, and their coach

was well known and well liked in the conference. But

yes, it was a hard thing to swallow.

HHC: Besides that,

another disappointment from that year was losing at

Texas Tech (73-68) in the final seconds of the game,

which most feel made the NCAA Tournament bubble pop. Do

you still have nightmares about Rayford Young going

coast to coast in that game?

LF: No, not really. A

lot of stuff I went through up there, it’s still in my

mind, but I don’t think about it like I used to. I

always felt we underachieved each year I was there.

HHC: Which year was

the worst?

LF: The worst year

was my senior year. Cookie was out, Coach brought in

some new guys and a new system, and everything went

haywire that year.

HHC: Before we talk more about that

1999-2000 season, talk about what you remember with

Danny Nee’s job situation. Did you have a good idea it

would be his last season before the season even started,

or did you guys have no clue until the end of the year?

LF: We had a good idea that it was going

to be his last. We had talked about it and heard rumors

about it. But it didn’t really matter playing wise.

HHC: How difficult

was it to play that season and not make the post-season,

especially after making it your first three seasons at

Nebraska?

LF: That was the

hardest thing because that was supposed to have been my

year, where we put it all together and we win on top of

that. I was supposed to become a more complete player,

and I thought we had enough talent to go to the NCAA

Tournament. It was just a really tough ending.

HHC: Do you agree with the sentiment that

had Cookie Belcher not gotten injured that year, you

guys would have made the post-season and Danny Nee might

still be at Nebraska?

LF: Yes, I do. I was

looking forward to Cookie and I being out there

together. We had talked about it all summer and all year

long, what we’d accomplish together. And Cookie brought

so much to our team that of course it took a lot out of

us. I think that was tough.

HHC: In your opinion,

did Danny Nee get a raw deal and unfair treatment at the

end?

LF: From the fans?

HHC: Yeah, the fans

and media.

LF: Well… I mean, I

don’t really think that he got a fair shake for a couple

years there, because he always had a lot of pressure on

him. But if you look at the talent that he had, then you

could say that we underachieved; I’ll leave it at that.

HHC: What was the

biggest shot or play you ever made in a Nebraska

uniform?

LF: Man, you’re

making me go all the way back here, I hadn’t thought

about this in awhile (Laughs)! Man… Biggest shot or

play…

Okay, it was a game when we played

Baylor at home in 1997-1998, and Tyronn was injured, and

we were down, but we needed a spark and I started that

spark and I ended up having a pretty big game. I hit a

couple of last second shots, and none to win, but just

some to help spark it (Editors Note: A 66-55 Nebraska

win).

HHC: And favorite

place in the Big 12 to play?

LF: I really enjoyed

Kansas, and that time we beat Kansas in 1998-1999, at

Kansas, it was on television and that was probably my

biggest highlight of my career (64-59 Nebraska win).

Man, what a feeling.

HHC: What are your

favorite off the court memories at Nebraska?

LF: I would say my

first two years. Anytime that we got together during

those years were great because those were more family

than the last two were. We would get together and go

hang out or go to Coach Nee’s house and go to a movie or

something.

HHC: When was the last time you were in

Lincoln, and do you still follow the team at all?

LF: Man, I think it

was 2000 the last time I was there. But I’ve been trying

to keep up with both the basketball and football, yes.

HHC: And before we get to today, we have

to ask you for a funny Danny Nee story or two. Can you

add a couple to our ongoing list?

LF: Yes. I remember

one day we had gone to that laser tag thing in the maze

out there in East Lincoln, and Coach Nee thought he was

free and safe, and he took off running and ran into a

wall and busted his nose (Laughs). And his nose busted

wide open and everybody was laughing.

(Laughs) It was funny even for him

to be out there playing with us to begin with. But just

off hand, that’d probably be one thing I can think of.

HHC: (Laughs) That guy never ceases to

amaze us. Anyway, talk to us about what Larry Florence

is doing today, and what he has been up to since 2000?

LF: Well, I started

off alone because when Danny left, I never did hear any

contact from anybody that had said they would help me

out with my dreams of pursuing basketball. So what I did

was take it upon myself to get myself overseas, and I’ve

been doing that and trying to move my way up, and I’ve

also been working odds and ends jobs over here.

But my last basketball job was over

in Argentina, and if everything goes well and I get a

good contract, I’ll play overseas again next year. If

not, then I’ll try and use my education and get back

into coaching.

HHC: Awesome, sounds

like everything is going well. Larry, thanks a lot for

taking the time to join us, and are you cool with taking

some e-mails from the fans at

[email protected] if we set you

up an account?

LF: Sure, I’d like that.

HHC: Great! Thanks a

lot for your time, and anything else you’d like to say

or add?

LF: No, not really, other than it was nice

to speak with you and I really appreciate you doing

this.<script type="text/javascript" language="javascript">