Former Tar Heel likes pick

By PEDRO VELAZCO
Tribune sportswriter

July 04, 2009 09:43 pm

— Tyler Hansbrough’s been a hot topic of conversation after he was picked 13th by the Indiana Pacers in the NBA draft on June 25. For a keen perspective on Hansbrough, we peppered former Tar Heel Darrell Elston with a handful of questions.
A former Tipton star, Elston graduated from UNC in 1974 after three seasons in Carolina Blue (freshmen weren’t eligible back then) and played with the Pacers in 1976. His son Derek will be a freshman at IU next season.
Q: As a Carolina guy, we wanted your thoughts. What was your reaction to picking Hansbrough?
Elston: He’s such a hard worker. I see him as a talented player, and some people don’t think he’s a good shooter, but he works so hard I think he’ll be great.
Q: Since the draft, a lot of fans have expressed a lack of confidence in Hansbrough’s ability to make a positive impact. Have you heard that much?
Elston: I hear the same thing. I remember when he was a high schooler playing against [Lawrence North’s Greg] Oden. I thought, ‘My God what a talented kid.’ He had a couple dunks on fast breaks. The experts think he may not be that talented but I don’t see it.
Sure, he’s going to have to work on his shot, but it’s very seldom that you see somebody going to the pros that doesn’t have to work on something.
I don’t know how good he’s going to be at guarding outside positions, but like I say, he’s an outstanding worker so I think any shortcomings he has, he’ll work through it. I think you’ll be surprised how good he is.
Q: Does it surprise you that Hansbrough has to defend himself against criticism so much?
Elston: I was watching SportsCenter and they were talking about how he doesn’t get his shot up high enough. They were talking about he’s not athletic. I’ve always seen him as a good jumper and fairly quick up and down the court.
He shoots his shot a little bit low. The experts claim he’s not a good outside shooter, but I think he had a real good shooting year, and he’s worked real hard at it.
I think he’s going to be a good pro. He may not be a Larry Bird-type pro, but I think he’ll be a good pro.
Q: As a Carolina guy, does seeing him picked have an emotional impact on you?
Elston: I think so. Here’s a guy that was the leading scorer all-time in the ACC and he’s had so much success in Carolina, you’re pulling for him. I hear the things on TV about him lacking ability. I think he’ll really surprise people.
That’s a big deal when you’re the leading scorer in the ACC all-time. I think some people don’t realize just how big it is. You go back through the ACC and all the players that came out of there. He stepped in [as a freshman] and scored points right away.
Q: Do you see the Pacers improving, treading water, or getting worse?
Elston: I really haven’t followed them a great deal. I know Danny Granger’s a real good player and becoming a better player every season. I think they may be going forward. They had some players that were not real productive for a couple years. To some extent they got rid of all that and they’re moving forward with some good young players.
In the pro ranks, if you lose a couple good players and you slide a little bit, it’s hard to get back to the Reggie Miller [era] and that group.
It’s really hard to find a good veteran leader. If you’ve got someone like that, you need to just build on it. I think they’re on the way up, but it just takes time.