Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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IRISH IN THE PROS ing to settle for playing in Germany and coming within a hair of quitting the game altogether. But that's not his style. "I'm thrilled about the opportunity to come back and play at Notre Dame," Hansbrough, who re- cently made Indiana's 15- man roster, said before his South Bend homecoming Oct. 26 when the Pacers took on the Chicago Bulls in both clubs' final pre- season tune-up. "It will be a heckuva atmosphere to be back at Purcell Pa- vilion. I'm thrilled about coming back there and playing in front of the fans, seeing some of my old teammates and kind of relive some old memo- ries on that court." The Pacers have un- he made] the 15-man ros- ter," Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey said. "I'm so thrilled and so proud of him. This sum- mer he went from retir- ing, to wanting to go to grad school, to coaching high school basketball … maybe he was going to start a rock band, I don't know, to coming back and playing basketball again. That's our boy." "It was really tough," til Jan. 6 to offer Hans- brough a contract. Until then, he'll earn the league minimum while trying to play his way onto the court at point guard. With his brother, and former North Carolina star, Ty- ler Hansbrough a reserve for Indy in the front court, the two have an oppor- tunity to become just the fourth pair of siblings to play together in the NBA this season. "I talked to him [when said the 6-3 Hansbrough, who averaged 18.4 points per game and shot 43.5 percent from three-point range as a senior with the Fighting Irish, about the chipped bone and liga- ment damage he experi- enced in his ankle while working out before the combine. "I was out for about four weeks. I rushed it — tried to do a really quick rehab — and I went and worked out with teams with kind of a flat tire, I guess you could say. "It was frustrating be- and jump a little bit and work out for some teams, there was only like a week and a half until the actual draft." His name was never called, which prompted him to take the biggest paycheck his agent could procure in the form of a contract with FC Bayern Muenchen in Munich. "The situation I went to in Germany probably wasn't ideal for me," he now admits. "I think I bit on an offer for the most money without neces- sarily thinking it was the best fit for me. I went over there nursing an ankle, injured and it kind of bugged me all through- out the year." Making an NBA ros- ter is just the first goal Hansbrough has happily checked off his list. Next on that list is getting on the floor. "I'm a rookie in the cause I wanted to prove that I was good enough to be at this level. You work so hard, and it's your dream to do this as a ca- reer and set yourself up for the rest of your life. By the time I felt I could run NBA right now; I am on a team," he said. "But at the end of the day, you've got to celebrate the small vic- tories, but keep your eyes on the goals you have. "I am on the roster, but you haven't necessarily proven [you should be] out on the court. I think I'm on my way there."