A Passion for Excellence: Hansbrough's strong work ethic has enabled him to become one of top stars in UNC history

Shortly after 4 p.m. Sunday, Tyler Hansbrough will leave his seat on North Carolina's bench and take the court at the Smith Center for the last time.

When he does, a career that could rank as remarkable, even by lofty UNC and ACC basketball standards, will start to close.

In four seasons, Hansbrough has become one of UNC's top players. He isn't the most talented to ever play for the Tar Heels, but he is one of the most decorated and one of the most admired because of his relentless play.

He adds to his school scoring record with every point, and he's nearing the ACC scoring record. No college player has ever made more free throws, and Hansbrough -- the consensus national player of the year last season -- could be a first-team All-America for the fourth time.

Some of the records are special for him. Most aren't.

"It's not like I'm going out there trying to break everybody's record," he said. "These records are kind of on the back-burner right now. I'm trying to focus on winning ballgames and making a run in late March."

Some images of Hansbrough will endure in UNC basketball history -- his 40-point game against Georgia Tech as a freshman; his bloody face and uniform after he had his nose broken against Duke as a sophomore; his head bowed in dejection at the Meadowlands, also when he was a sophomore, after UNC blew a big lead and lost to Georgetown in overtime in the NCAA East Regional final.

Also: his dunk over 7-7 Kenny George of UNC Asheville; his rainbow 3-pointers against Duke as a freshman and again this season; his outracing David Potter of Clemson to a dive on a loose ball; his tough six-foot jump hook in the final seconds, with three defenders on him, in a close win at Virginia last season.

Coach Roy Williams was talking to forward Deon Thompson last season about improving his play and offered simple advice -- watch Hansbrough and do what he does.

"I think, with me, that he'll be the standard that I will always compare people (to) when it comes to focus and work ethic," Williams said. "That's the thing that I'll take away from his career: the success he's had and how focused he was and how hard he worked."

Unmatched work ethic

Hansbrough, a 6-9 center, redefined the word "intensity" at UNC. The obsessive way he prepares, practices on his own and lifts weights earned him the nickname "Psycho T." After the win over Georgia Tech in Hansbrough's freshman season, Williams gave the team the next day off. Hansbrough was in the Smith Center the next afternoon, working on free throws, upset because he missed five the night before.

Lennie Rosenbluth, one of the top players in UNC history, has no doubt that Hansbrough is one of the five best in program history.

"Look at his work ethic. He never stops," said Rosenbluth, the 1957 national player of the year who led UNC to the NCAA Tournament title and a 32-0 record.

"I tell people he's every coach's dream. Every coach would love to have a player like Tyler. He never lets down. I've seen him dive into tables and dive on the floor. It's an everyday occurrence with him. It's not like it's the first time he did it. He does it all the time."

Guard Bobby Frasor said he started to understand that Hansbrough was more than just a good player during Hansbrough's sophomore season. His key evidence for Frasor was that Hansbrough started to dominate that season and that he did so almost every night, not just on occasion.

"People talk about legends," Frasor began. "I think Ty's going to have a legend quality about him. The stories are going to build up and build up. People talk about (him eating) sushi now; in 20 years, it's going to be Tyler ate a live cow or something.

"He's going to have a reputation that when people and kids hear about him, he's going to be kind of a Paul Bunyan figure."

Coach Seth Greenberg of Virginia Tech saw firsthand what Hansbrough means to UNC in last season's ACC Tournament semifinals.

Virginia Tech outplayed UNC for 39 minutes, 59 seconds but still lost. In the final, frantic seconds, Hansbrough ran down a ball at the right baseline after a missed free throw, turned and fired a 15-foot jumper that put UNC ahead 68-66 with eight-tenths of a second left.

Greenberg said that the play is the kind made only by "special' players."

"There are very few players that have ever played the game that played as hard and as consistently hard as he does," Greenberg said. "He waits for you to take a play off, and then he seizes the opportunity."

Opening up

Frasor and Hansbrough are longtime roommates. They were in the same recruiting class and met as high-school seniors. They didn't hit it off immediately, though, because Hansbrough was quiet and not especially out-going then.

"Before he committed, Coach Williams had me call him," Frasor said. "Of course he didn't answer my call. He never returned my message. When I met him, he was pretty shy; the grunts (for answers) and whatever. People talk about how often he would not speak to people in public."

If Hansbrough was in a shell, he came out quickly. Last spring, he and Frasor jumped off the top of a fraternity house into a pool filled with water. Hansbrough said that one reason he returned to UNC for his senior year was that he enjoyed being a college student.

"I didn't expect this character that he has and the infectious personality he has once you really get to know him," Frasor said.

"And could I have expected that he was going to be this good at Carolina and leave this legacy? No, not at all. It's amazing for the type of history that this program has that he's going to be remembered as one of the greatest."

Hansbrough hasn't played on a national-championship team, but Williams doesn't think he needs to for validation. Williams said he thinks that a more appropriate way to judge Hansbrough is to look at his entire career.

It's likely that no other player in UNC history has played as hard every minute of every game. Hansbrough has helped UNC to 116 victories -- including four consecutive wins at Duke -- two ACC Tournament titles and one Final Four.

Coach Gary Williams of Maryland would have welcomed the opportunity to coach Hansbrough, because of the thing most important to him -- winning.

"You just put him out there, and he's going to play that same level, whether he's playing well or not playing well," Maryland's Williams said. "The effort's always going to be there. Any coach knowing you have that in your pocket, that must be a great feeling."

Hansbrough met the criteria last season to have his jersey number retired. He will be only the eighth player in school history so honored and will join a group that includes Rosenbluth, Michael Jordan, James Worthy and Phil Ford.

"He's a special player," Frasor said. "You'll never see something like this again. So you've got to enjoy it while it lasts."

■ Bill Cole can be reached at bcole@wsjournal.com.

Hansbrough's high points

Tyler Hansbrough has had a career filled with highlights in four seasons at North Carolina. Here are some of the most notable:

• 2007-08 consensus national player of the year

• Three-time All-America

• ACC player of the year and Everett Case Award winner (2007-08)

• No. 1 in NCAA history in career free throws made (914) and No. 2 in career attempts (1,157)

• No. 1 in UNC history in career points (2,700); needs 70 points to become ACC career leader

• No. 2 in UNC history in career rebounds (1,145); needs 23 rebounds to set the record

• One of five Tar Heels to play in four wins at Duke since ACC was formed in 1953

• Can become first ACC player to lead his team in points and rebounds four times. He leads UNC in both categories.

• UNC career leader in double-figures scoring games (125)

• Holds ACC record for career 20-point games (74)