I have never been an NCAA basketball guy, as they are seldom on local TV.
But in a matter of minutes, I have become a Tyler Hansbrough fan.
When I flipped to ESPN after a long-run of channel-surfing, North Carolina was trailing to Virginia Tech by some six points late in the second-half of the semi-final of the ACC Tournament.
That's when Hansbrough came through.
Hansbrough is definitely not the prettiest player on court, in terms of playing style and how he looks (Think Forrest Gump with mad hops). But he is darn good and smart, and has a knack of being at the right place at the right time. First, he sneaked behind a couple of day-dreaming Hokies to put in his teammate's missed free throw to tie the game late on. Then in the dying seconds, Hansbrough, normally and nominally a post player, drifted way from the post to the right baseline for an offensive rebound, and then coolly drilled a 15-foot jumper for the game-winning basket with just 0.8 seconds to go.
That helped the Tar Heels escape from an embarrassing upset at the hands of the Hokies, which they had annihilated earlier in the regular season, and pretty much shows the nation just how good Hansbrough really is.
Hey, if Forrest Gump could star for Bear Bryant, Hansbrough can definitely star for anyone in the NBA.
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