by Paul Casey Gotham
Three more games and the college basketball season comes to an end. It is hard to imagine that two national semi-finals leading to Monday’s championship, and the 2008-2009 NCAA Men’s basketball campaign takes its place in history.
So too draws the curtain on Tyler Hansbrough’s college basketball career and the University of North Carolina forward’s unparalleled resume. Stat sheets like Hansbrough’s have seduced weaker souls to try for NBA riches. Yet the perennial All-American will walk off the court in Detroit at some point this weekend having exhausted all of his college eligibility.
Images of the senior forward diving head long across the floor, enduring an endless barrage of fouls, and a face covered in blood seem so commonplace that fans have almost overlooked Hansbrough’s accomplishments this year. Love him or hate him basketball fans respect the native of Poplar Bluff, Missouri for playing the game the right way. He leaves the college ranks as the number one scorer in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference (currently 2,836), over 1,200 rebounds, and undefeated at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Hansbrough’s trophy case is filled with All-Americans, a Wooden, a Naismith, and countless other Player-of-the-Year Awards.
Still Hansbrough’s accomplishments lack one thing: a national title. The Carolina captain will come face-to-face with that goal this weekend at Ford Field.
With this singular objective so close at hand, Hansbrough parallels the quest of fictional character, Jay Gatsby, whom F. Scott Fitzgerald breathed life into some eighty years ago.
James Gatz left behind a humble existence in North Dakota to become Jay Gatsby the millionaire cosmopolite of Long Island’s West Egg. In doing so Fitzgerald lent a persona to the American Dream. Readers have since associated Gatsby’s socio-economic climb with the possibilities provided by this land of opportunity. Jay Gatsby showed that with hope and the willingness to strive anything is possible.
When Fitzgerald introduces his icon, Gatsby is seen reaching out his hand in the direction of the Long Island Sound. Off in the distance the image of a green light can be seen. This light at the end of the Buchanan’s dock symbolizes Gatsby’s aspirations.
Motivated by his love for Daisy Faye (Buchanan) Gatsby amassed a fortune with the hopes the two could ‘repeat the past’ when they were once in love.
Unlike Gatsby, Tyler Hansbrough strives to put the past behind him. But like Gatsby whose collection of material goods include his rented mansion, extravagant cars, lavish parties, and glittering library, Hansbrough hopes his previous accomplishments will provide a foundation for what he will do this weekend.
In the end Gatsby fell short of his dreams.
Maybe, just maybe, Tyler Hansbrough can revive the spirit of Jay Gatsby on the Motown hardwood. Perhaps Hansbrough can capture the green light that Gatsby found so elusive.
Unless that green light in the distance happens to be the MSU Spartans.
Seriously, a very good piece, Casey. Hansbrough may or may not be on the cusp of his greatest achievement … an NCAA championship. And although he’ll be a serviceable NBA pro, his best and most memorable playing days will be behind him once we hit Tues April 7.
Casey – excellent comparison.
I hate UNC, but Hansbrough’s quest is so intriguing. Some talk about his numbers being down, but really it isn’t that much of a difference this year for him. Sometimes deciding to stay in college damages your draft stock, so I think it is commendable he turned down millions last season, along with the others, to return. I love this comparison to Gatsby. Hansbrough and crew may become one of the most tragic college basketball stories if they don’t win. The big questions is, if his “green light” eludes him once again in this Final Four, does it affect his legacy? I think it will – we look differently at those who were great and won versus those who were one of the best and never won.
Larry Bird is a good case study. Would we remember his collegiate career as much if he didn’t have such a successful NBA career? Without a title, Hansbrough’s legacy might suffer.