Tyler's Turn
Our extended interview with UNC junior Tyler Hansbrough
by Brandon Guarneri
| Print Page | Email to Friend
MF: We heard that you were selected to a national team over
the summer, but opted out to stay in UNC to train. Is that right?
Hansbrough: Yeah, I got to a chance to go to Brazil and play for a national team, but I stayed in Chapel Hill to work with our strength coach. We
tried to get more explosive for the court. He has an SUV that he'd keep in the
parking lot, so we'd get behind it and push to build our leg and arm strength,
too. We did a lot of plyometrics with the medicine ball, medicine ball tosses,
over our heads, in front, a lot of different things.
MF: Just standing, tossing the medicine ball?
Hansbrough: We'll stand, take a jump forward, and throw the
ball as far as we could, and then we do take a jump backward and throw it over
our heads. We'd also do a lot of hill work. Sprints up hills are brutal.
MF: How many other Tar Heels were there this summer?
Hansbrough: I'd say about five(FOUR?-dh). Bobby Frasor,
Marcus Ginyard, myself, Alex Stepheson.
MF: Do you enjoy working out?
Hansbrough: Yeah definitely. It's something that I've always
done, and I've always enjoyed learning more about it. It's one of those things
where I've learned that if I really improve in this area, it's going to show up
on the court.
MF: What's your favorite part about the gym?
Hansbrough: I can probably bench around 330 pounds, that's
probably my favorite lift, but my favorite part about the lift is when
everyone's getting real intense, the music's cranking, you go up there and you
power clean a weight that you didn't think you could get. That's always
enjoyable.
MF: What kind of music do you have on in the weight room?
Hansbrough: We have everything. We have Ice Cube, Motley
Crue. We change it up.
MF: What songs are on your iPod right before you take the
court?
Hansbrough: I listen to a lot of Ice Cube, a lot of Tek 9.
MF: Do you have any superstitions?
Hansbrough: Yeah, I have to make two free throws before each
game, and I can't sign an autograph on game day.
MF: How did you get your nickname, Psycho T? Do you hate
when people call you that?
Hansbrough: I got the nickname through my strength coach
when we were going through our intense workouts. It's funny sometimes, but
also, I kind of like it. I enjoy being called Psycho. Call me Psycho T, Psycho.
I'll laugh about it.
MF: Do random people on campus shout it out to you?
Hansbrough: Yeah, definitely. That's the best part, when
somebody you don't know or don't talk to, they just call you Psycho.
MF: Can you diagram your own game? I feel like you've got
some Charles Oakley in you. Are you half this guy, half that guy?
Hansbrough: I guess you could say Charles Oakley, or Dennis
Rodman. He's kind of the undersized guy, and he's always doing a lot of the
dirty work. I've always enjoyed watching him play.
MF: What's the worst taunt a Dukie's ever shouted at you?
Hansbrough: I would say Maryland's got the toughest fans to
deal with, but the Dukies, they had some pictures of me, some high school
pictures that were kind of funny.
MF: They dug them up out of the yearbook?
Hansbrough: Yeah. They did. They definitely did their work.
MF: But you said Maryland had worse fans, right?
Hansbrough: Yeah, they had pictures of my mom.
MF: In the stands?
Hansbrough: Yeah.
MF: Oh, man. That's rough.
[on Facebook, Digg, Reddit and more]
