Monday, March 5, 2007

Hansbrough: Physical play sometimes frustrating

North Carolina center Tyler Hansbrough didn’t know he would be foreshadowing Sunday’s game when he talked Friday about the physical beating he has absorbed from opponents this season.

"It’s frustrating," he said. "Your body takes a beating, especially when you sometimes get hit in the face and things like that. It really hurts."

Two days later, Duke freshman Gerald Henderson broke Hansbrough’s nose with a hard foul with 14.5 seconds remaining in the Tar Heels’ 86-72 win. Hansbrough hasn’t spoken to the media since then, but has suffered a small, non-displaced fracture of his nose.

He also may need a root canal to fix a tooth injured earlier in the game, coach Roy Williams said Monday. Williams said he doesn’t believe Henderson, who was ejected and suspended for Duke’s ACC opener against N.C. State, intended to hurt Hansbrough.

"If I thought he did that intentionally, I would suspend him for longer than a game," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Monday.

Though Hansbrough previously hadn’t been the victim of an incident as severe as Sunday’s, he said Friday that it’s common for opponents to push and shove him.

"I think that the way teams approach me is physical," he said. "They try to push me out and be really aggressive with me. I think I can handle it well. But at times it’s really frustrating." -- Ken Tysiac

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

The acc officials have allowed this to happen. Players should have been reined in a long time ago. Yes, Tyler’s play is physical. And if he makes an overly aggressive play he should be called for an offensive foul, as should the defenders. This punching and grabbing, elbowing needs to be curbed.

At first I blamed K for coaching his players to be so aggressive that in a the past three games Tyler has been slapped in the face so hard he has been knocked to the ground, split lip, a root canal and a broken nose. and those contacts falling out, that’s from getting hit in the back of the head.

i don’t anymore, the officials allowed things to go this far. Of course K will push the limits (and ultimately crossed the line) but the officials should have been the safe guard for this kind of basketball.

This was not an isolated incident. This has been happening game after game and was bound to happen sooner or later.

Personally, I think it is very irresponsible.

Anonymous said...

Hansbrough is as physical as anyone, and pushes people around as much as anyone else. for him to be complaining about physical play is hypocritical and stupid.

this is not to excuse henderson, but if hansbrough hadn't been going after his own missed free throw with 14 seconds left and a double digit lead, and THEN trying to put up a shot, he wouldn't have a broken nose right now. so I have little sympathy for his "frustration".

Anonymous said...

What a pu$$y! If you instigate contact, like Psycho does, you might have to accept, and expect, a bloody nose.

If you don't like contact, play soccer.

Anonymous said...

I agree that it is a two way street. He plays very aggresive and a lot of the contact that is made is his fault. However, i am just stating that things have gone too far. With everyone constatnly escalating their agressiveness under the basket, something like this was bound to happen.

Can you think of a single player who has taken the kind of beatings that Tyler has? Even in college, Shaq wasn't getting split lips, broken noses, and root canals against Ole Miss.

It should be frustrating. Teams are breaking the rules to guard him and the refs do nothing about it. If tyler breaks the rules, then he should be called as well. The ACC officiating has let these things go too far and now Tyler is getting hurt.

Tyler plays the game harder than anyone I have ever seen. I think it is stupid to criticise him for not going for his own rebound. THAT IS WHAT GOOD PLAYERS DO! It was nothing personal and it had nothing to do with score.

To that point I want to mention that this running up the score crap needs to stop. This isn't t-ball, or rec league basket ball. A twelve point lead is nothing special. Get over it.

Anonymous said...

Hansbrough is PHYSICAL; he's not dirty. What Henderthug did was a premeditated cheap shot.

And the spin regarding Tyler being in the game is just PITIFUL on the part of the Dookies and the ABC crowd. RatFace had every starter that hadn't fouled out in the game at that time, and was calling T-outs and jacking 3s....he must've not thought it "was over". Typical Dook/RatFace hypocrisy. I don't ever want to hear a Dookie bitch about having his home robbed if he accidentally leaves the door unlocked....that works about as well as blaming Hans for being on the court at the time he had his nose broken by a cheap shot thug like Henderthug.

Anonymous said...

My comment is related to Billy Packer and his on air analysis from Sundays game. For years he has shown either dislike for UNC or sarcasim. In the field of sports personalities there needs to be equal broadcast for both teams. This never happens when he calls a Carolina game. I would much rather listen to Dick Vitale and his antics on air than an unbias opinion of one person.

Ps....Mr Packer what did Carolina ever do to you???

Anonymous said...

Hainsbrough's complete over reaction was the sole reason the refs changed the call to a flagrant foul. Was he hurt? Yes. But like typical UNC showboating, Hainsbrough went over the top.

Anonymous said...

Richzby,
You have to be kidding with that comment regarding what you call Tyler overreacting. The guy's nose was broken. Did you think he should have simply gotten up and walked over to the bench with no emotion? Let someone break your nose and we'll see what your reaction happens to be. It was a flagrant foul. And it was called correctly. End of story.

As far as all those people out there saying the game was over and Carolina should not have had Tyler in the game, also an idiotic comment. All of Duke's top players were in the game, other then the one's who had previously fouled out. Coach K was certainly calling T.O.s and having his players launch 3's. Anyone who thinks the game was over is obviously not an ACC fan of any length. There are countless games that have been won in the final seconds, but the biggest comeback has to be when Duke was winning with 17 seconds left in 1974 and they were up by 8. No 3 point line. Carolina came back and won that game. The game is never over until the clock strikes 0. Whiney old Dookies. Just like their coach. Great guy as long as he is winning. But his class disappears the moment his team gets beat.

WB said...

marsblackman:
"hansbrough hadn't been going after his own missed free throw with 14 seconds left and a double digit lead, and THEN trying to put up a shot, he wouldn't have a broken nose right now."

Marsblackman, that has got to be the absolute dumbest thing I think I've ever read. I cannot believe you are implying that he brought that on himself by PLAYING THE GAME. Your comment is absolutely absurd....and I'm not a Duke or UNC fan.