Appropriate that Hansbrough's record breaker comes on FT
Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina during the second round of the ACC Tournament on March 13, 2009.
Mar 20, 2009
Tags: ACC
Tyler Hansbrough has spent the better part of four years at the charity stripe, so it's only fitting that Psycho-T would pass J.J. Redick for the ACC's career scoring lead with a free throw.
The four-time All-American now has 2,789 points in his illustrious career.
"It means a lot," Hansbrough said after his team's first round NCAA Tournament win over Radford Thursday afternoon. "It's special - it's an honor."
Beaten up and thrown down more than any player in recent history, Hansbrough has proven remarkably durable, diligent and determined in becoming the greatest scorer in one of college's greatest conferences.
Number 50 will one day find his jersey in the rafters at the Smith Center, and rightfully so.
With 941 makes on 1200 career attempts through Thursday's game with Radford, Hansbrough has been able to consistently earn trips to the free throw line, and, more importantly, take advantage of them.
Imagine what Wilt Chamberlain or Shaq would have done to the NBA's scoring records if they had shot 85% from the stripe as Hansbrough has this season.
Already the NCAA's leader in career makes from the line, a mark he attained during Carolina's win over Georgia Tech when he passed Dickie Hemric and the then-record of 905, the player that spurned the NBA to try and help the Heels to a national title will go down as one of the ACC's greatest ever.
Critics will argue that he wasn't as athletic as Thompson, exciting as Jordan, or imposing as Sampson, but Hansbrough scored more points than any of them ever did.
And most of those points, like the one that gave him the record, came without anyone even able to guard him.
