Hansbrough appreciative of congratulatory call from Redick
Hansbrough runs for the ball during the UNC vs. Radford round one game of the NCAA tournament in Greensboro, Thursday, March 19, 2009. Photo by Todd Melet
Mar 20, 2009
Tags: ACC
There is no doubt that Duke vs. North Carolina is the greatest rivalry in college basketball, but even the most bitter of rivals can sometimes cross enemy lines.
That was the case last night when J.J. Redick, Duke's all-time leading scorer and one of the most hated Blue Devils of all-time, called North Carolina's Tyler Hansbrough to congratulate him on breaking his ACC career scoring record.
Redick set the mark in 2006, when he scored the last of his 2,769 points, a total that Hansbrough would top in Thursday night's 101-58 win over Radford in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Hansbrough has made clear his love for beating Duke in the past, but he admits that the call from the former Blue Devil meant a lot.
"I talked to him - he just congratulated me on the record," Hansbrough said. "We had a good conversation and he wished me the best of luck. It meant a lot because...he knows what it feels like - it is a special moment when you do break that record."
North Carolina fans needn't worry, however, that Hansbrough is wavering on his hate for the team eight miles down the road in royal blue.
When asked if Redick's phone call created a soft spot in his heart, even for just a few minutes, for Mike Krzyzewski's team, Psycho-T was quick to set the record straight.
"I don't know about a soft spot [for the team], but I do have a lot of respect for [Redick]."
