Not that they should need him to beat Chaminade.
Hansbrough appears to be pain free so far but there is a worry that the stress reaction will become an issue again. This has Roy in an ongoing debate with the staff as to how much playing time he should get in Maui.
“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.”
These "rest them" injuries are a tough breed because you can never be sure if it is healed or not. All you are left with is slowly bringing the player back and hoping the symptoms do not recur. After a certain period of time you are comfortable cutting the player loose but that point has yet to come. The problem here is UNC is at the Maui Invitational which calls for three games in three days. If their schedule with individual games coming 3-5 days apart this would be an easier process. At present UNC is looking at three games to start the week, UNC Asheville on Sundy followed by a trip to Detroit for Michigan State the following Wednesday. After that UNC has 10 days off for exams which we can assume could afford Hansbrough the chance to rest it and hopefully put this thing to bed. The hard part is getting there and if it were up to me and be thankful it is not because I am probably wrong I would do it this way.
vs Chaminade: Do Not Play
vs Oregon/Alabama: 20-25 minutes
vs Next opponent: 25-30 minutes with discretion for more if there is no pain
vs UNCA: 20-25 minutes
vs MSU: Normal rotation
If there is no pain after the MSU game and after the 10 days off then Hansbrough should be back on normal rotation.
Another issue Roy has is the fact Hansbrough is like a caged tiger and apparently bugging him to death about playing. Hansbrough squeezed five more minutes than Roy intended out of the game by pestering his coach. Given the way Hansbrough has played over three years it is not surprise he is itching to get back into it. Interestingly enough, according to the N&O this has happened before to Hansbrough:
Said Hansbrough's father, Gene: "Roy came over to his house and said, 'Do you remember how you started your senior season in high school?' And Tyler said, 'Yeah, I was on the bench for the first five games [with an Achilles tendon injury].' And Roy said, 'Do you remember how that turned out?' And Tyler said, 'Well, it turned out pretty well.' "
So well that Poplar Bluff (Mo.) High won the state championship that season, Hansbrough fully healed and leading the way.
Which is a reminder of why Williams also wants to continue to be cautious now, and Hansbrough knows he needs to be, even if he doesn't really want to.
If that is the case then I am all for history repeating itself right down to winning the championship at the end of the season.