Tough times ahead for Hansbrough?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Tyler Hansbrough could be in for a rough senior year.

He’ll likely become Carolina’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder. His name could be atop the ACC’s scoring list, supplanting J.J. Redick. He may sweep the player-of-the-year awards again, too. Hansbrough might even win that elusive National Championship.

But there will be plenty of questions along the way.

Is he overexposed? Can he win the big one? Will he be a good NBA player? Does anybody play harder? Why doesn’t anyone else get the calls he does?

There will be idiotic commentary. See Mike Freeman’s column on Cbssportsline.com.

The seeds have already been planted. Soon we will witness the mother of all backlashes. And here’s the shame of it, none of this is Tyler Hansbrough’s fault.

Blame the media for the silly columns. Blame the TV directors and newspaper lay-out editors for how visible he is.

Trust me, the next time Hansbrough campaigns to have his face plastered all over your TV or newspaper it'll be the first time.

Blame the refs for Hansbrough getting to the free-throw line at such a remarkable clip (or better yet, blame the opposition for not being able to guard him).

Blame everyone else in college basketball for not playing up to Hansbrough’s level.

Let’s have some accountability for a change. Blame anyone and everyone except Tyler Hansbrough.

He should be celebrated for staying in school, not vilified. I realize a lot of people want to be on the cutting edge in discovering the next great thing. But how often do we overlook what’s right in front of us in search of something better?

Eleven years ago, Peyton Manning went through a similar situation when he was at Tennessee.

At first, Manning was the poster-boy for everything that was right about college athletics. He had a great resume on the field. He was likeable off it. But eventually things changed.

After a while it seemed Manning became more of an annoyance (to some) than a hero. The national media turned on him after four years. Win after win, 400 yard passing game after 400 yard passing game, enough was never enough anymore.

Get ready for history to repeat itself.

Manning, like Hansbrough, decided to return to school for his senior season. It gave him one more chance to beat SEC-rival Florida (something he never did), a shot at The Heisman (he finished second to Charles Woodson) and maybe a National Title (Tennessee lost to Nebraska in the Orange Bowl).

Until he won The Super Bowl, Manning’s legacy (to some) was that he couldn’t win “The Big One”.

Is Hansbrough’s legacy going to be the same?

Probably not. But you and I both know, he’ll have some fierce detractors if UNC doesn’t go all the way in 2009.

A big difference between the two is that Manning was viewed as a can’t miss NFL player and overall No. 1 draft pick. However, the duo of Manning and Hansbrough certainly share a fair amount of similarities.

Hansbrough’s been front and center for the last three years. College basketball fans should consider themselves fortunate to see a player of his caliber exhaust his eligibility instead of bolting for the NBA.

His accomplishments at the collegiate level should be lauded, his pro-potential shouldn’t be panned.

I’m already sick of hearing about how Hansbrough’s game doesn’t translate to the professional level. I don’t care if his game doesn’t translate to my backyard. The fact of the matter is it works in college.

I’d rather marvel at what he’s accomplishing now as opposed to wondering if Shaquille O’Neal will be sending one of his hook shots into the third row in another year.

I’ve had my fill of folks saying how Hansbrough won’t be able to do this or that at the next level. Guess what, the game he’ll have next year is going to be better than the game he had this year. His range will be better. His defense will be improved. He’s going to be better than last year’s consensus player-of-the-year.

Maybe Hansbrough’s draft stock won’t change with another year at UNC. Maybe he won’t be a star in the NBA. However, I’m willing to wait until he’s actually in the NBA before I judge what he can or can’t do. Right now, my judgment tells me he’s a pretty good college player. Maybe one of the best ever.