Tyler Hansbrough is a North Carolina Tar Heels legend after spending four seasons with the program, helping bring a national championship in the process.
Hansbrough was dominant in his four years with the team and in addition to going to two Final Fours and winning a title, he was also a national player of the year in his career. But what If I told you Hansbrough almost didn’t go to North Carolina and instead would have landed in the SEC with a program that won back-to-back titles during the 2000’s?
During his appearance on the Run Your Race podcast with Theo Pinson, Hansbrough told a story about his recruitment and where he thought he was going to go for college.
“Kentucky was my number two but a lot of people don’t know, I almost went to Florida,” Hansbrough said on the podcast. “Billy Donovan was there at the time and kind of had a change of heart. My first official visit was to Florida and that official visit was absolutely amazing. And I left Gainesville saying ‘I’m going there.’ What they showed me, the nightlife at the campus at the campus was absolutely unbelievable. I never experienced anything like that. Poplar Bluff didn’t have that nightlife. I was like I’m a Gator. But had a change of heart and came to UNC.”
UNC's all-time leading scorer almost committed to a different school? 🤯
“I left Gainesville saying I'm going there…I was like, ‘I'm a Gator.’”
– Tyler Hansbrough
(Via: Run Your Race) pic.twitter.com/ZyfvwbgeYK
— Tidal League (@TidalLeague) November 3, 2023
Hansbrough went on to say he had a change of heart and said it was coaches that did it for him.
Luckily for UNC fans, Hansbrough did pick the Tar Heels and more importantly, he didn’t pick Kentucky.
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