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University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Big-Time
November 27, 2008 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Nov. 27, 2008
By Adam Lucas
MAUI--This did not feel right.
Hang around North Carolina basketball long enough and you'll start to understand how big college basketball games are supposed to feel. The day builds to them. You check your watch all day long as the late evening tip-off approaches. The hours from 7 to 9 p.m. are the worst, when the clock doesn't seem to move. Then, once you're in the arena, there's a sound made by a nervous crowd that's electrifying. Bands play. Students scream.
At no time prior to Wednesday's 5 p.m. Hawaii time tip-off did the Carolina-Notre Dame game feel that way. It was supposed to--the rankings told us that. The Tar Heels first, the Irish eighth. This was an early-season top-ten showdown, which meant we were supposed to feel that buzz.
Instead, it felt more like a winter's night showdown in the Tri-Eight Conference. Because the 2,500-seat Lahaina Convention Center had to be cleared between each game, the general admission bleachers were empty until around 4:45. The PA system played a bizarre techno version of Europe's "The Final Countdown." During the starting lineups, the PA announcer introduced Carolina's head coach as "Roy Williamson."
Big games feel tight, like it would be a sin to talk about anything other than basketball. This one did not feel that way. Less than 20 minutes before tipoff, the hottest topic among some members of the Tar Heel traveling party was the fashion sense of assistant coach Joe Holladay, who has been resplendent in some very unique shirts throughout the tournament.
Let me just tell you, in case you're wondering: at Cameron Indoor Stadium or the ACC Tournament or the Final Four, the traveling party isn't talking about shirt choices.
But then the official threw the ball in the air and something unexpected happened: a floor-scraping, elbow-swinging, tongue-wagging big-time game. Despite all the unusual surroundings--the ocean just steps out the front door, the hula dancers at halftime, the fans sitting elbow-to-elbow on plastic bleachers without backs--this was a big-time game.
Midway through the first half, an observer seated at the scorer's table, within arm's reach of Roy Williams, turned and said, "Wow, this has an ACC championship game intensity."
How intense?
Tar Heel strength coach Jonas Sahratian was clapping boisterously on his way to the halftime locker room and clapped so ferociously his wedding ring flew off. It's still there somewhere. They never found it.
In the second half, Ed Davis made one of his few mistakes all evening, as he failed to get back on defense, allowing Notre Dame's Luke Harangody to make an easy basket. Williams was not pleased with this development, and turned and slammed the padded part of the scorer's table during a timeout. Two minutes later, the Lahaina ballkids were still marveling at the head coach's palm print that remained on the blue table padding.
But you don't need those illustrations of intensity. If you know anything about Carolina basketball, this is the only sentence you'll need to read to understand Wednesday's intensity: Tyler Hansbrough lost a contact.
It came midway through the first half, it was the first one of the season, and it was only one of several indicators that the real Hansbrough had returned.
Most people come to Maui to be relaxed. Hansbrough came to Maui to be miserable. Preventing him from playing in basketball games is like asking Michelangelo to draw comic strips.
Hansbrough lucked into a single room at the team hotel and emerged rarely. His brother, Ben, plays for Notre Dame but did not travel with the Irish due to NCAA transfer rules. Hansbrough's parents also didn't make the trip, which essentially turned him into a hermit.
Bobby Frasor--who had perhaps the best defensive effort ever against a player who scored 39 points, as he helped limit Kyle McAlarney's explosion to the final eight minutes of the game, once it was virtually out of reach--knocked on Hansbrough's door Tuesday morning after the big man sat out against Chaminade. "Hey, want to get some breakfast?" Frasor asked.
Remember, Frasor and Hansbrough are close. This is what friends do on the road. On a basketball road trip, there are two primary activities: basketball and meals. Breakfast is a chance to get out of the sterile hotel room and reconnect with humanity.
"No," Hansbrough said. "I got room service and ate by myself."
Upon encountering C.B. McGrath a few minutes later, Frasor advised the assistant coach that it might be wise to post a guard outside Hansbrough's door to make sure he didn't try to jump off his balcony in frustration. Of course, with Hansbrough, who has been known to leap off a few tall buildings, you never know how seriously to take his jumping threats.
Later that day, at the team's pregame meal, Frasor tried again.
"Did you do anything today?" he asked.
"No," Hansbrough said.
And that was it. No elaboration. No conversation. Just a "no" and a whole lot of silence and straight-ahead staring.
"Oh, OK," the ever-chatty Frasor said. "I didn't do anything either. Thanks for asking."
Here's the thing, though. Frasor knew this silence would be a good thing if Hansbrough was ever unleashed.
Wednesday, he was. He hit jumpers. He made post moves. He swished free throws. He dunked.
In other words, 34 points later, he was Hansbrough.
And he was much more chatty, as the championship trophy hadn't even been presented before he was taking ribbing for his lone misplay of the night, a dunk he miscalculated that clanged off the front rim as he was called for a charge.
Tomorrow, he's going snorkeling and perhaps even cliff-diving. Tonight, even those who knew him best had to marvel.
"Sometimes we get used to it," Frasor said. "You think, `Well, that's what Tyler is going to do, have big-time games in important games.' But you can't take it for granted. There are a limited amount of these games left, so you have to enjoy it."
Maybe tomorrow he'll even be willing to enjoy breakfast.
Adam Lucas is the publisher of Tar Heel Monthly. He is also the author or co-author of four books on Carolina basketball.
