A 6'4" (1.93 m) guard from the University of North Carolina, Larese was drafted by the NBA twice, once by the St. Louis Hawks in 1960, and once by the Chicago Packers a year later (the draft rules in place at the time permitted this). Larese played seven games for the Packers and was traded to the Philadelphia Warriors. Larese participated in Wilt Chamberlain's famous 100-point game. Larese only played for one season (1961–62) in the NBA.