Tyler Hansbrough dunked, scored, won for UNC basketball. Why he’s back in class

Tyler Hansbrough stood up and slung a backpack over his shoulders. He was nervous, and admitted that much to his colleague. For all he had done in his legendary North Carolina basketball career — national player of the year, NCAA champion, all-time ACC leading scorer — he felt a bit out of his element as he stepped onto campus Tuesday.

Hansbrough was about to begin his first “real” job.

Minutes later, the 6-foot-9 player-turned-professor stepped into Room 33 of UNC’s Carroll Hall. The crowd of 90 students, buzzing just moments before, quieted as he entered. Hansbrough scanned the room with an intense focus, counting under his breath.

“I think it was 96 that were enrolled,” he told The News & Observer. “We had 96 seats. And I noticed there were a few empty.”

It’s not every day that you get marked absent by “Psycho T.” But this isn’t just any college course. This fall, Hansbrough is joining UNC professor Livis Freeman to teach MEJO 377: sports communication. Freeman has taught the class for years, traditionally capping it at 60 students across two sections. But this semester, with a new co-teaching model and Professor Hansbrough in tow, he expanded the class size to 100 students. There are still about 50 students on the waitlist, Freeman estimates.

“This is a model that I don’t think has been done before across the country… I feel like it’s kind of on the verge of something that’s going to be revolutionary,” Freeman said. “It involves having the right person. And I thought Tyler would be perfect for this.”

Professor Hansbrough

Hansbrough isn’t a big email guy. He said he’s not used to getting so many and acknowledged after his first day of teaching he’s “a little overwhelmed” by his inbox.

“I look at every email,” he said, “so I’m starting to realize how to filter those, you know, sort through the important stuff.”

Even after his instructor onboarding — complete with training videos, a tour of Carroll Hall to learn where all the fire exits are, etc. — Hansbrough says he’s still adjusting. Even referring to himself as “Professor Hansbrough” feels weird. He’s not sure that’ll ever stick.

“Not sure any of my friends will really ever get used to that,” Hansbrough said, “especially Bobby Frasor.”

That’s putting it lightly.

Frasor, Hansbrough’s best friend and UNC teammate, said he never expected Hansbrough to go into teaching. UNC men’s basketball director of operations Eric Hoots had to break the news via a group text with former Tar Heels.

“’We’re all laughing and making jokes and stuff like that,” Frasor said, “Going back to our college days, if you had said, ‘Hey, there’s a guy in this room who is going to be teaching a class here at Carolina in 15 to 20 years, who’s it going to be?’ He’s probably the 17th pick of everybody in that room.”

Out of how many?

“We had 17 guys.”

Fellow UNC teammate Marcus Ginyard concurred, adding, “There’s not one person that thought that. Not one.”

‘I was not great with the media’

When Hansbrough first arrived at UNC in 2005, two things were immediately evident to men’s basketball communications director Steve Kirschner. One: this kid was quiet to the point of being shy, and two: he was about to be thrown into a media storm unlike anything he had ever seen.

Raised in rural Poplar Bluff, Missouri, the small-town kid came to Chapel Hill and immediately became the face of a blueblood program.

“I was not great with the media then,” Hansbrough said. “Or, you know, talking, or, you know, kind of being a vocal guy.”

After Hansbrough played his first game as a Tar Heel — he dropped 21 points in a win against Gardner-Webb — Hansbrough told Kirschner he’d be back “in an hour.” After his lift, stretch, protein shake and ice bath.

Kirschner told him no, media came first, and braced himself for Hansbrough’s glare.

“I thought he was gonna kill me,” Kirschner said.

Over time, though, Hansbrough grew. The same single-minded focus that made him a nightmare in the paint — and, at first, a bit distant with the press — also made him a fast study. In interviews, Hansbrough became more comfortable, more polished.

Today, the man once considered a poor quote is a color analyst, a podcaster, a guest lecturer, and now, a professor teaching young Tar Heels how to navigate the media. His official title is “Visiting Professor of the Practice for Sports Communication.”

“Over time, he got so much better at it. It cracks me up, though, the progression to where now he’s teaching a class,” Kirschner said, pausing to chuckle, “about sports media.”

‘A wild idea’

So how did this happen?

Freeman and Hansbrough’s connection goes way back. Before Hansbrough’s jersey was raised in the Smith Center rafters, Freeman was running PR for Antawn Jamison. He brought Hansbrough and other Tar Heels to speak at Jamison’s youth basketball camps. Later, when Freeman joined the UNC faculty, Hansbrough occasionally stopped by his sports communication classes as a guest speaker.

“He always did a great job,” Freeman said. “But last fall, when he visited, he just did a really amazing job. It felt like he kind of has come into his own, and was feeling more comfortable engaging with students, and I just kind of had a wild idea.”

As they walked out of that class last year, Freeman shot his shot: Had Hansbrough ever thought about teaching?

“I kind of laughed,” Hansbrough said. “I never saw myself doing this.”

Freeman told Hansbrough to think about it. A few weeks later, over breakfast at The Carolina Inn, Freeman pitched the full plan: co-teach a reimagined sports communication course, built around his lectures and Hansbrough’s lived experience. It would be like a broadcast. Freeman would take the lead. Hansbrough would add color commentary.

“He locked it in,” Freeman said. “He’s like, ‘I’m all in.’”

‘I was starstruck’

After about 45 minutes of overviewing the course syllabus, icebreakers and, of course, showing a few highlight reels, Freeman dismissed class early. Hansbrough visibly exhaled. Freeman patted him on the back, and the two professors shook hands.

Even in the classroom, Hansbrough has trouble turning it off — that focused “look” Frasor recalls seeing in the pregame huddles.

But Hansbrough seemed much calmer after the lecture was over, taking time to chat and pose for selfies with his new students.

For some in the room, Hansbrough was just a name in UNC’s record books. They were too young to remember watching him dunk on 7-foot-7 Kenny George or break his nose playing Duke. A few students admitted, sheepishly, they had no clue who Hansbrough was. But many whispered excitedly, snapping photos mid-lecture and dashing into the hallway to call their parents.

“I was starstruck when I walked in… I didn’t know if he was coming on the first day,” said senior Nathan Huse. “It was just a crazy moment for me.”

The surreal feeling is mutual between professor and student. For Hansbrough, strolling across campus Tuesday stirred memories and reminded him how much has changed.

“I was a little nervous walking into the class today,” Hansbrough said. “You know, this is a new experience for me, and I want to help the kids. This place is very prestigious academically, so I want to add a lot of value.”

After class, standing on the steps outside Carroll Hall, Hansbrough said bye and told Freeman he’d be in touch. They teach again Thursday and there are lesson plans to review. The former player still has plenty to learn as an instructor, but said he’s excited to soak in lessons from Freeman and his new pupils alike.

“I learned I’m gonna have to get on TikTok,” Hansbrough said. “That’s part of the class. A lot of students are on TikTok.”

He’s in a rush, but quick, let’s ask him: Have you thought of a username?

“Maybe Professor Hansbrough.”

This story was originally published August 20, 2025 at 5:45 AM with the headline "Tyler Hansbrough dunked, scored, won for UNC basketball. Why he’s back in class."