Hansbrough Ready To Return

Tyler Hansbrough has not had much to smile about lately. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound power forward from Poplar Bluff High School in Poplar Bluff, MO., strained his achilles right before the season started and has yet to see any action on that court. North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams was scheduled to watch Hansbrough this week, but that visit was canceled because the Missouri native has not been cleared to play.

“I’m really feeling a lot better right now. I hope to start working out soon, possibly on Monday,” Tyler Hansbrough said. “Coach (Roy) Williams was supposed to come and watch me play, but he is no longer coming. There was no reason for him to come because I wasn’t going to play.”

Hansbrough really made a name for himself last summer. He traveled with the St. Louis Eagles and established himself as a player that could get the job done with the game on the line. He scored quite a few of his points after fighting for offensive rebounds, hitting pull-up jumpers and, most importantly, outworking his defender. He has nice range from 15-17 feet, which makes him that much more of a threat on the court.

Hansbrough does that dirty work that many players do not like doing, but he also has a certain finesse about his game. He hopes to play the small forward position at the collegiate level, so he is working to improve all aspects of his game.

Because of his play on the court, Hansbrough has become one of the most heavily recruited players in the class of 2005. While he is still in the early stages of his recruitment, several schools have made a positive impression on the talented power forward.

“I would say that Duke, North Carolina and Missouri are the schools that I will officially visit when that time comes,” Hansbrough. “It’s possible that I could visit Kansas and Florida also, but that’s a decision I will make when the time is right.

“Duke, North Carolina and Missouri are schools I really like, but they aren’t my favorites by any means,” he added. “I’ve decided to take my time with the recruiting process, so nothing has been decided upon.”

Coaches from Kansas and Missouri have already visited Poplar Bluff High School. A member of the Duke coaching staff will make the trip during Christmas Break.