University of North Carolina Athletics
Hansbrough Press Conference Quotes
April 1, 2008 | Men's Basketball
April 1, 2008
Pre-Final Four Press Conference 4-1-08: Tyler Hansbrough
After three years of playing, you've finally made it to the Final Four. You've had some time to reflect on it, so what does it mean to you now?
"It means a lot. It's a goal we set out. Obviously, we beat some good teams to get here, and we feel like we're playing really well. We just want to keep on moving."
After 2005, so many guys left, that you and your class came in and had to play right away. Has having that experience set the backbone for building this team?
"Yeah, definitely. MY freshman year, I was forced to kind of come into a situation where I saw a lot of playing time. A lot of teammates, Bobby and Marcus and Danny, were in the same situation. But also I think last year, you look at it, Ty came in, and Wayne, and they also were in a situation where they started playing right away, so I feel like there are a lot of guy on our team who have a lot of experience. Only Quentin has the Final Four experience and really knows what to do, but, to that, we're in the Final Four right now, and it's a new situation for us. I think we can use that experience that we've been using all along and keep doing those same things."
You've had a couple of games this season like against Washington State when you struggled a little bit in the first half and then really got clicking in the second half. Is there anything in particular when you've had games that are a little off in the first 20 minutes that you do or think about at half time to make sure you come out strong?
"Yeah, sometimes I think I use halftime as some time to look back at what I could have done better, and also sometimes it just takes me a while to get in to the rhythm of the game. I don't like to force a lot of things, and sometimes the game just comes to me. When that happens, I go from there."
In 2005, when you were a senior in high school, can you talk about your memories of watching the team you were about to play for win a national championship and how much it made you want to get to this point?
"Watching them win, first of all, seeing some of my could-be teammates win was big for me and it was big for the program, but also I think what it brought to this team right now is we see those guys each summer come back. When they're playing with us, they'll talk to us and tell us what it's like, and we want that same feeling."
How much does how things go in San Antonio affect your decision as to what you're going to do in the future, particularly next season?
"It will affect it a little bit, but I wouldn't say it has a huge role. I love being here, and I'm not going to base my decision off of that. I'm just going to have to look at my situation, talk to some of my family, and see what they think. Ultimately, it will come down to what I feel like I want to do, and we'll just have to wait and see."
When you think you don't have a good game, what happens to you after that game and before the next scheduled practice?
"I think every player knows if they've done what they could to help the team. I find a situation where a lot of people look at me and say, oh he played a so-so game, and I'm kind of a guy who wants to play a little better than a so-so game. If I'm having a bad game or a decent game, I still want to continue to improve. If I've had a bad game, I'll come back here and get some shots up. If I missed a lot of free throws, I'll practice those. A lot of times, if I don't feel like shooting, I'll go to the weight room and lift a lot of weights, so it just depends."
You talked the other day about almost feeling guilty that you have to get a manager out to work with you on your shots. Do you remember a time where it was excessively early or late? Do you have a go-to person, like Preston or someone?
"Yeah, I kind of do. There's been some times where Preston has definitely helped me out, but I would say one manager who's always around for me is Brandon, I don't know if you know Brandon Rhodes, but he's kind of the guy who's been there a lot. They all do their part, and they help me out a lot, and we're fortunate to have guys like that with our team."
Tyler, you want to win a championship so bad, I know, what is the balance in not beating yourself, when you think about it.
"Last night, I couldn't really fall asleep, I just kept thinking about this game coming up. What I said to myself is, "You've got to do the things that you've done before to get to where you are now. You've go to keep doing all those things and I can't just sit here and wait for the game." I'm gonna go out there and do my routine, the same things I've done since before the first game, do the same things I've always been doing. I think we'll have success as a team, we'll all do the same things."
When did it sink it that you were finally going to the Final Four?
"The next day, when I called my mom to check up on her that she got back alright, I was talking to her, and was like, "Can you believe we're going to the Final Four?" It's kind of a crazy situation. Who would have ever thought, starting out in Poplar Bluff, I would end up playing at North Carolina, and then go play at a Final Four. It's just a situation I'm really happy to be in."
What are some of the funniest or weirdest nicknames people have called you?
"There's some things that I can't really think of right now that I just told people, don't ever call me that again. My roommates call me Bi-polar sometimes, when I was on my recruiting visit, I told Melvin Scott to call me T-bone, and then Psycho-T is our strength trainer's. There's been a few of them."
What are your impressions of Kansas? Growing up in Missouri, did you ever follow them growing up?
"Yeah, my dad went to Missouri, so I always remember those rivalry games that they had that I used to watch with my dad. I know they're a good team, and they got to this situation in this tournament being really good. They have a lot of great players, good inside and outside presence. I'm going to have to look at them and go from there."
Do you feel bad for Bobby, not really being able to participate in this? What has your class done?
"It's an unfortunate situation with Bob. As his roommate, friend, and teammate, I wish he were here with us. I know he does more than anything, but also at the same time, I don't think we've had to make Bobby feel like he is part of it because his presence is known. I kind of feel like he's an, as somebody said, assistant coach. In practice, he's always talking. People always know he's there; he's always cutting up. He's happy for us, and he's definitely a part of this."
How difficult is this for coach to be playing his old team?
"I think for him, it's hard. He's got a lot of memories there and a lot of good people that he knows from there, and he's got a lot of relationships. At the same time, he's at North Carolina now, and most of the people that he coached are pretty much gone, but also he has a lot of relationships with those people. For me as a player, it's not any more that just a big time game because I have no connection to Kansas."
When we say you work harder than anyone else, how do you take that?
"I take it as a compliment. It's definitely something that I do, but also sometimes I think some of my other skills get overlooked. I am a hard worker."
Coach said that you beat up Surry Wood in practice. Tell me a little about that.
"I would say daily. Surry has definitely taken his beatings from me and Al. He'll show you some bruises every once in a while when he comes to practice and we're like, "hey, where did you get that bruise?" and he's like, "yeah that's from you when you gave me the elbow the other day." It's Surry's job; he's there pushing us every day, and he definitely doesn't hold anything back himself, and he's always been good for us."
Can you tell us how you can balance all the media and fans that want a piece of you?
"I'd say that each stage, it's gotten more and more. There are times when I don't even look in my mail box, but fans are great. I say hi, but the hardest thing for me is sometimes you miss a lot of schoolwork, so I think balancing your schoolwork and basketball is tough at times, but it's something you have to do."
