Sunday, November 23, 2008

Hansbrough's Maui minutes a concern

LAHAINA, HAWAII — North Carolina coach Roy Williams said Sunday he hasn't decided how much forward Tyler Hansbrough will play in the three-games-in-three days Maui Invitational. He said he's not even 100 percent sure whether the senior will play in top-ranked UNC's opener against Chaminade on Monday, because the team hadn't practiced since beating UC Santa Barbara on Friday night.

Hansbrough made his season debut there after sitting out more than three weeks with a stress reaction in his right shin; he scored 13 points in 25 minutes.

"I don't think it will be a game-time decision, but I really don't know what I'm going to do,'' Williams said. "I really wanted to play him 20 minutes, and he kept bugging the dickens out of me on the bench, and the only way I could get rid of him was to put him in the game so I ended up playing him 25.

"We did not practice yesterday, we got to the LAX Marriott about midnight Friday night and then came here. So we're going to practice this morning and see how he feels. I'm extremely concerned about going three straight days but nobody really knows – the only person that gives you the kind of input you have to have is Tyler. Is there any pain there? If there's pain there, we stop. And he's feeling great.

"Also, I love him to death, but I'm not sure he would be 100 percent honest with me, so I have to keep asking him."

— Robbi Pickeral

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