Still , given the century 's worth of tradition that has reigned in Chapel Hill , it was no small feat that Hansbrough accomplished Thursday night , when he broke Ford 's school career scoring mark with less than eight minutes to play in the first half of North Carolina 's game against Evansville
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give century worth tradition reign chapel hill small feat hansbrough accomplish thursday night he break ford school career scoring mark minute play half north carolina game evansville
Still , given the century 's worth of tradition that has reigned in Chapel Hill , it was no small feat that Hansbrough accomplished Thursday night , when he broke Ford 's school career scoring mark with less than eight minutes to play in the <m> first half </m> of North Carolina 's game against Evansville
Hansbrough broke UNC 's career scoring record the Carolina way
During the spring of 1977 , North Carolina coach Dean Smith invited his star guard Phil Ford , who had just completed his junior season , into his office .
Smith told Ford that he had done some research on where Ford would be selected in the upcoming NBA draft. Based on that information , he recommended to Ford that he leave school .
Ford did n't even have to think about it .
He told Smith right away that he was n't interested .
`` At the time , a lot of people were n't doing that , so going pro was n't something I had even considered at all , '' Ford says .
`` The financial situation was different back then as well .
At the time , my parents were teachers , so getting my degree was very important to me .
The opportunity was n't worth me not getting my degree . ''
Last April , Tyler Hansbrough faced a similar decision , but under much different circumstances .
Hansbrough plays in an era when not only is it common for undergraduates to turn pro , but in some circles a player is considered a failure if he stays past his junior year .
Needless to say , he faced a financial opportunity much greater than the one Ford confronted three decades ago .
Hansbrough spent two full weeks torturing himself over the impending decision .
When Hansbrough finally told Roy Williams he wanted to return for his senior year , he felt like the weight of the world was off his shoulders .
He was so relieved that he did n't even leave the weight room when Williams asked him to come to his office so they could craft a press release .
`` It was a stressful process , '' Hansbrough said in mid-October .
`` You 're thinking about what you 're going to do with the rest of your life .
Every time I thought about leaving , I thought about how much I 'd miss coming home , living with my teammates and doing a lot of the fun things we do .
I just felt like coming back would be the best situation for me . ''
In considering that life decision , it 's doubtful Hansbrough gave much thought to the chance he would have to become North Carolina 's alltime scoring leader if he returned .
Still , given the century 's worth of tradition that has reigned in Chapel Hill , it was no small feat that Hansbrough accomplished Thursday night , when he broke Ford 's school career scoring mark with less than eight minutes to play in the <m> first half </m> of North Carolina 's game against Evansville
North Carolina has established itself as the gold standard of college basketball , and in the soft-spoken , hard-charging , 6-foot-9 power forward from Poplar Bluff , Missouri , this proud program has a worthy standard bearer .
Ford is correct when he says that people are n't appreciative enough of Hansbrough 's skills , but there is no doubt that what sets this young man apart is the intensity with which he plays .
If Ford was a classical symphony , Hansbrough is a heavy metal rock concert , powering , jostling , banging , and always , always out-hustling his opponent en route to the basket .
It is instructive that while Hansbrough remains ninth on the ACC 's alltime scoring list , he is already the league 's career leader in free throws attempted .
If he stays healthy , he will likely leave North Carolina as the school 's alltime rebounds king .
More than anything , though , Tyler Hansbrough deserves this record because he came back to school .
This is not to disparage players like Michael Jordan , Antawn Jamison and Rashad McCants who might have had a shot at Ford 's mark had they stayed .
But at a place like North Carolina , which embodies team play , the scoring record should belong to a four-year player .
Hansbrough would probably not have been a top-five draft pick had he left , but it 's unlikely he will signifcantly improve his draft status by playing another year .
Also , at the time Hansbrough made his decision he was assuming that at least one of his fellow undergraduates , and as many as three of them , would be turning pro , diminishing the Tar Heels ' chances of winning a championship .
Hansbrough came back anyway , and for all the right reasons .
Ford also points out that because freshmen were not eligible to play varsity ball from 1954-73 , a huge swath of mega talents who suited up for UNC did n't have the chance to hold onto this record -- including the man Ford passed , Lenny Rosenbluth , who still holds the school 's record for career scoring average ( 26.9 ) and is fourth in points scored .
Hansbrough is sixth on the school 's career scoring average list at 20.2 .
Still , it takes a special individual to eclipse a record that has stood at a place like North Carolina for 30 years .
Ford remembers little about the night he passed Rosenbluth .
He believes he broke the record late in the first half , the game was not interrupted , and neither he nor Rosenbluth had much to say about it .
In fact , Rosenbluth was n't even there that night .
When I asked Ford if he still has the game ball , he said he thought he might , but he has moved so much in recent years ( he worked as an assistant coach for the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks before joining the Charlotte Bobcats last year ) that he thinks the ball may be packed away somewhere .
`` To be honest , I was just happy to get it over with , '' Ford says .
`` I did n't want anything distracting from the team . ''
If the circumstances were different than they were in 1978 , the central tenets of the Carolina Way have endured , from Rosenbluth to Ford to Hansbrough .
While offering his congratulations to Hansbrough , Ford is quick to add that the career scoring record is the least important mark at North Carolina .
`` We never cared who scored the ball , '' he says , `` as long as someone with the Carolina jersey got the ball in the basket . ''
Tyler Hansbrough would be the first to agree , even as he jostles and bangs his way towards history .