SFN: Hansbrough vs Henderson

06-07 Basketball General Media114

This topic was stealing center stage…so, we wanted to extricate it from the State-Duke entry that should be focused on…well…State and Duke!

With 14 seconds to go in today’s Duke/Carolina game – and with the game firmly in the hands of the Tarheels who had a 12 point lead – Duke’s Gerald Henderson connected with a forearm across the bridge of Tyler Hansbrough’s nose on a put-back attempt after a rebound of missed Carolina free throw.

The N&O continues:

The contact was after the ball left Hansbrough’s hands and Henderson was ejected. Hansbrough exited the court with blood pouring from his face and fuming at the intensity and timing of the foul.

The game referees released a statement after the game explaining the call.

“By rule, this is a flagrant foul for combative and confrontational action. It is ruled a fight. By rule, it is an automatic ejection. By NCAA rule, he must sit out the next game.”

Hansbrough rebounded a Bobby Frasor missed free throw with 14 seconds left and instead of kicking the ball out to let the clock expire he was playing tough and trying to physically position himself for more points – preferably on a dunk in the face of the Blue Devils. What was Duke supposed to do? Just allow Tyler Hansbrough to go up for a posterizing dunk on a play that never needed to happen in the first place (why was Hansbrough on the court up 12 with 14 seconds to go)?

Absolutely not. Duke should be allowed to play just as hard as Hansbrough.

People who have never played basketball/sports don’t understand how quick things happen in real time. From the comfort of your couch and the endless slow motion replays, you can’t help but get the impression that these athletes can control things that are happening at phenomenally quick speeds. This is not reality.

I just watched some Charlotte news footage that was taken from behind the basket in real time. Folks, this happened SO FAST that NOBODY could have stopped their swipe at full speed in mid-air. It just doesn’t work that way. This ain’t The Matrix. People can’t contort their movements like that by stopping time no matter how spoiled your high definition viewing in slow motion makes you.

If you watch the replay, Henderson’s swat would have been very close to where Hansbrough would have had the ball if the ball hadn’t been blocked/swiped by another Duke player before it got to Henderson. But, the block of the ball from behind changed the whole play and the positioning of Hansbrough.

By then it was far was too late for Henderson. He was committed to his anticipation and was swinging hard and trying to make a block on a big guy trying to dunk. When the ball was deflected and was no longer at the projected spot, Henderson’s follow through came right into Hansbrough’s face. Had the ball not been knocked out of Hansbrough’s hands .19 of a second before Henderson tried to dunk then all would have been fine. The worst thing that Gerald Henderson did was forget his black trench coat and Keanu Reaves super powers.

It was unfortunate. But, it was also uncontrollable at that speed and in that situation.

No. Wait. I take that back. It was completely controllable. All Hansbrough had to do was kick the ball out to a guard to hold for 14 seconds instead of trying to get some nasty slam designed to rub salt in Duke’s wounds. Or, all Roy Williams had to do was to not have his starters in the game up 12 with 14 seconds. That would have controlled the situation.

But…of course…Hansbrough has the unalienable right to play hard and the Duke players aren’t given that same right? Why is that Tyler Hansbrough has the innate right to be intense and playing extremely hard at the end of the game but nobody else is allowed to do the same thing?

The play was hard; I personally think that it was meant to be hard; I definitely do not believe that it was meant to be intentional; The problem lies in the interpretation of ‘flagrant’

“By rule, this is a flagrant foul for combative and confrontational action”. OK. I buy that. If that is the rule for “flagrant” then I buy it. The problem therefore is that we have all seen dozens of fouls this season that constitute “combative and confrontational action”.

Ironically, it is the very Tyler Hansbrough who is involved in this situation that literally took a swipe/swing at the head of Brandon Costner in the Tarheels visit to Raleigh earlier in the year. Hansbrough barely missed conncecting with Costner, but did that somehow diminish the “combative and confrontational action” of taking a blatant swing at an opposing player in behavior that IN NO WAY was related to the play of the ball?

In the end, I think that I generally agree with these comments made by ESPN’s Pat Forde in this entry.

After viewing the replay several times, I agree that the blow to the face did not appear to be intentional. Henderson was going to block Hansbrough’s shot, then Hansbrough’s arm was pulled down and the ball flew out and Henderson’s forearm smashed Psycho T’s face. This was not a premeditated knockout.

However, Henderson appeared to be going in with the intent to deliver an enthusiastically hard foul. There is a place in the game for hard fouls, for forcefully preventing easy baskets, for occasionally planting an opponent on his rear end.

About StateFans

'StateFansNation' is the shared profile used by any/all of the dozen or so authors that contribute to the blog. You may not always agree with us, but you will have little doubt about where we stand on most issues. Please follow us on Twitter and FaceBook

06-07 Basketball General Media

114 Responses to SFN: Hansbrough vs Henderson

  1. Wulfpack 03/06/2007 at 7:29 AM #

    “The day that State fans rush to a Tarhole’s defense like they have here for Hasbro (ESPECIALLY for Hasbro) is a sad, sad day indeed. Or are they closet ‘holes?”

    No, we aren’t. It’s called using reason. There is no place for this kind of junk in college basketball. It was a vicious blow. It is what it is. And just b/c Hansbrough dons a UNC uniform does not mean that I cannot find him to be one of the most likeable players in the country. If you want a description of what I’d want our big man to be, look no farther than Hansbrough.

  2. TNCSU 03/06/2007 at 8:49 AM #

    ^^^^Lunatic Fringe…I agree with your last post.

    “I guess it really is a matter of perspective, but they both stated that they did not believe Henderson should be villianized for the incident and neither do I. I see it as a hard foul where the kid went too far and is getting punished for his mistake.”

    I don’t think “it’s part of the game,” but I’ve played enough to know that emotions can come out, and “things” happen. No, I don’t think he should be villainized either, and agree that he should just take the punishment.

  3. TNCSU 03/06/2007 at 8:53 AM #

    And just to clarify, when I say I don’t think it’s part of the game, I don’t mean “hard fouls,” I mean vicious flying elbows. There is a time and place for a good hard foul, but IMO, Henderson launched himself at Hansbro with intent to put a hurtin’ on him — which he did, so he’s riding the pine against us. Okay, now, I will get off this dead horse! Let’s concentrate on Thursday….

  4. wolfonthehill 03/06/2007 at 9:52 AM #

    doatesjr – We can agree that we hope both coaches learn a lesson. I’ve been preaching since January that Roy WILL learn this lesson the hard way, and that when he does, it will be deserved.

    When you are incessantly celebrated for your ability to go 10-deep, there’s zero excuse for having a single starter in, up 12, 18 seconds to go, at the free-throw line… unless the starter is shooting the free throws, which Psycho T wasn’t.

    Karma’s a bitch.

  5. GAWolf 03/06/2007 at 10:02 AM #

    If this was a court of law, it is clear to me that all of the many differing opinions about what the replay video contains at the very least establish reasonable doubt as to whether it was intentional or unintentional. Thus the idea that Hansbrough press charges against him is just stupid. Now his “punch” at BC… even though it didn’t land… is clearly outside of the scope of the game and thus actionable in a court of law as an assault.

    So… the whole karma card clearly comes into play and again I just don’t get what all of the fuss is about.

  6. GAWolf 03/06/2007 at 12:32 PM #

    I actually read the rules in the News & Observer today and now I am totally against the decision. If you read the rules and apply the facts to them by strict letter, I daggone don’t see it as a fighting-type gesture. The rule states “attempt” even. If anything, the letter of the law on this issue further sets out that Tyler’s “attempt” to hit BC should have warranted an ejection and a one game suspension thereafter. The ultimate aftermath of any foul is nowhere referenced in the rule… or at least as it was edited into the N&O piece. The rule speaks to conduct done intentionally and in a fighting manner… I don’t see that here AT ALL. “Flagrant” equates to “fight” in the rule. Flagrant in no way equates to an “intentional foul that breaks a nose.”

    They blew it.

  7. GAWolf 03/06/2007 at 12:34 PM #

    With all that said, I would like to make it clear that I hate Duke more than I hate UNC. I hate them both, it’s just that it’s easier for me to hate the yankee school over one of our state system schools.

  8. BoKnowsNCS71 03/06/2007 at 3:44 PM #

    Drunk players, drunk AD, criminal charges, and now dirty playing.

    Where is Peter Golenbock now that we truly need him?

  9. gumbydammit 03/06/2007 at 10:30 PM #

    Wufpack, TNCSU – “vicious” elbow? puh-leez. Hard – yes. Drew blood – yes. “Vicious”? you guys are as bad as the media. How can it be vicious if it is debatable as to whether it was intentional? Vicious is just one of those lame, cliched adjectives used ONLY to insight emotional reactions, and usually when the truth itself is not sufficient to support the emotional reaction sought by the user of the word. I stand by my previous post.

  10. Wulfpack 03/07/2007 at 7:37 AM #

    ^When I go back and watch closely, the look on Henderson’s face tells it all. It looks like he’s going for blood. Couple that with his clinched fists and the force of his swing, and yes, you get a vicious blow. Watch it live. It’s like a train running through a parked car. It’s an extremely forceful blow. I understand Henderson wasn’t trying to hurt him. But that’s also like saying that someone driving recklessly at 90mph on the interstate wasn’t trying to cause an accident. He has tp pay the consequences of playing out of control.

  11. jhmd2000 03/07/2007 at 10:43 AM #

    It was a brutal and cowardly, intentional act. As someone pointed out, you don’t block shots with a cocked elbow, and if you pause the frame later (and as several stills have shown) by the time it was over Henderthug’s arm was extended straight down, i.e., he followed through.

    That guy is a criminal and should be forced to wear a pink mask until Hansbrough is 100%; scarlet-letter style combined with, ahem, an eye for an eye punishment.

    I know the Lunatic Fringe hates Carolina more than they love humanity and the avoidance of suffering in another human being, but that’s between them conscience and their Creator. Neutral observers saw it for what it was, namely, a dirty, cowardly act.

    (Jim Rome: “Don’t lie to me Krazooski and tell me that’s not how he plays or how you play; I know that is how he plays and how you play because I have two eyes!)”.

  12. jhmd2000 03/07/2007 at 11:01 AM #

    Wulfpack is dead-on target.

    There is no place for that in what is by design, a non-contact sport. Even football, clearly a contact sport by design, requires a legitimate play on the ball. That would have been pass interference and an illegal blow to the head in TACKLE FOOTBALL.

    Dookfan of course plays the roll of victim. Only a Devilian sense of entitlement allows you to draw blood, break bones and still be a victim. They claim the media is treating this unfairly.

    Right. If a Va Tech player had done this, would there be any outcry that this intentional foul was “unintentional”? If this had been FSU or Miami football, would there by anyone out there assuring us all that “he had no intent”?

    Dook gets white glove treatment from the media and the refs.

    Example #1: Dockery shoves Hansbrough? Nothing from the league.
    Example #2: Laettner clearly stomps on a defenseless player? We then begin the Clintonian debate about whether a “stomp” is a “stomp.” Nothing from the league.
    Example #3: Marcus Vick does the same thing to another person. There is no parsing of words, just suspensions. Media tells us “he is a thug” and that the ACC is better off without him. (All of which is true, but I miss the difference with Christine Laettner’s actions).
    Example #4: Henderson chicken-wings a defenseless player with enough force to break his nose, and without any legitimate play on the ball. Answer? The media rushes to invent the first-ever unintentional, intentional foul, and the history is being written that Dook got worked over (“What? Consequences? Us? There must be some mistake…”). The league refuses to add to the required minimum punishment imposed by the NCAA, so it is fair to say the league imposed no punishment on the Dook assailant.

  13. Dr. Seuss 03/07/2007 at 9:57 PM #

    Whether or not the Henderson foul was intentional is to a large degree irrelevant. If you have too much to drink and kill someone on the drive home, it really makes not difference what your intentions were. Same goes here. The problem lies in the result of Henderson’s actions, and not the action in and of itself. You have to be held accountable for the consequences of your actions, hence a justified one game suspension.

    Unless I skipped too many posts, at least most of you guys aren’t blaming the victim by buying in to Hypocrit K’s comments about Hansbrough being in the game. Consider the following:

    Duke’s late game lineup:

    Gerald Henderson (with a game high 16 pts.)
    Demarcus Nelson (a starter)
    Jon Scheyer (a starter, who once scored 21pts in 75 seconds)
    Greg Paulus (fouled out with 19 seconds to go)
    Josh McBob (foulded out with 18 seconds to go)

    UNC’s late game lineup:

    Tyler Hansbrough (with Copeland, not Thomposn or Stepheson, waiting to check in)
    Bobby Frasor (a non starter)
    Dewey Burke (a non starter and senior walk-on)
    Danny Green (a non starter)
    Wayne Ellington (a starter)

    And to further demonstrate the hypocrisy of Coach Kryzcshsyzechsyzrshitskii, note the closing minutes of the Dook / Wake game:

    0:49 38-59 Josh McRoberts made Two Point Dunk Shot.
    0:34 Ishmael Smith missed Three Point Jumper. 38-59
    0:34 38-59 Josh McRoberts Defensive Rebound.
    0:08 38-62 Greg Paulus made Three Point Jumper.
    0:05 Ishmael Smith missed Two Point Layup. 38-62
    0:05 Ishmael Smith Offensive Rebound. 38-62
    0:04 Ishmael Smith made Two Point Layup. 40-62

    Don’t recall any blood being shed at the end of that one.

    My opinion on the foul is that Henderson went in to make an aggressive play that was going to result in either an emphatic block are an extremely hard foul. His play was over aggressive and reckless and has now cost him a game. But that’s just my opinion, everyone is obviously entitled to theirs. What bothered me much more than the foul was the manner in which the hypocrites at dook attempted to blame the victim and divert responsibility for their mistake.

    As far as the comment “The refs would only make that call if the opponent is Carolina and the venue was the Smith Center” is just biased rival dribble and you know it. Not tryin’ to ruffle any feathers here, just trying to give an accurate assessment. All of that having been said, I hope you guys kick the $#!% out of K and his merry band of wussies on Thursday. Good luck in the tourney and hope to see you guys in the Finals.

1 … 3 4 5

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. StateFans Nation » Blog Archive » Watching Tyler Hansbrough Fart is Special - 03/07/2007

    […] With all of the talk of the Tyler Hanswalk – Gerald Henderson talk this week, I was reminded of an old blog entry that I had saved but had never shared. […]

Leave a Reply