WRAL Sports Fan

North Carolina

No vacation for Hansbrough

Jun 26, 2009

Tyler Hansbrough was the 13th pick in the NBA Draft Thursday night, vaulting into the lottery after leading North Carolina to the NCAA title.

So what’s next? A day at the beach?

Uh, no. Hansbrough virtually went blank Friday afternoon on The Insiders when co-host Mark Thomas asked him if he planned to take some time off and take a vacation.

“Um … uh … no, not really,” Hansbrough said.

Instead, Hansbrough said he was looking forward to getting up to Indiana to get to know his new team, the Pacers, and to participate in summer league play.

But Hansbrough, who won national player of the year honors at UNC but whose NBA credentials were often questioned, did say he felt vindicated to be a lottery pick. Hansbrough seemed amused that there were questions about his athletic ability.

“That was laid to rest went I went to the workouts,” Hansbrough said. Hansbrough said he and his trainer chuckled at that perception.

“I felt like I was more of an athlete than people gave me credit for,” Hansbrough told The Insiders.

Once in the NBA, Hansbrough will have to prove he can hit his jump shots. But when asked if he could go to the Pacers’ Larry Bird for advice, Hansbrough quipped, “I’m pretty sure he’d give me a couple of tips.”