Tag: pj hairston

P.J. has handled this whole situation like a pro.[^f5807] It is really too bad the NCAA came down on him so hard. I hope he ends up having a great pro career.

[^f5807]: Obviously, I mean *after* his activities this summer.

> So what can we expect from Hairston this season? It is probably reasonable to assume that what Hairston did at the end of the last season was not a fluke, and given the penchant for players to blossom in Roy’s system during their junior season (if you need a list, you haven’t been paying attention), it’s possible that that 13-game stretch was just the tip of the iceberg. At 6’6″, a legit 220 pounds, and with an explosive first-step, Hairston is a prototypical NBA athlete, with the type of skills to put up a 50/40/90 slash line (FG%/3P%/FT%) for the season. Given the volume of touches he is likely to receive, that type of efficiency, or even close to that type efficiency, would certainly put him amongst the top five players in the ACC, and could put him in the running for ACC Player or the Year. Of course, this all assumes that there is no recidivism on Hairston’s part. How likely is this? Only Hairston can know for sure, but the hope is that, at the very least, even if no lessons have been learned, the rigors of the college basketball season will be enough to keep him suitably occupied.

I have a feeling that Hairston will take whatever suspension he gets and come back more determined than ever. I have a feeling he is going to be unstoppable this year.

> The lack of additional media stories about Hairston’s situation probably means there isn’t much to find out beyond what we already know. The fact Hairston, Roy Williams, Bubba Cunningham and everyone else at UNC is operating on the assumption the junior wing forward will play this season means whatever information is known to them points to some sort of suspension but nothing earth shattering. The only remaining questions are how many games and when will it be announced?

All indications are that Hairston is getting his butt kicked by Roy all summer. Sit him 3-5 games and then let him play. It is time this story dies.

> Jack Halperin, a longtime academic tutor for North Carolina’s athletic department, wrote an open resignation letter to Williams that appeared in Friday’s edition of the Daily Tar Heel. Halperin is apparently furious Hairston will play for the Tar Heels this season despite offseason arrests for reckless driving and speeding, including one in which police allegedly found marijuana inside the rental car Hairston was driving and a nine-millimeter gun and nine rounds of ammunition outside it.

Are you kidding me? Really? Halperin stuck around through all the garbage with the football program but has an issue with Hairston not being kicked off the team. Just ridiculous.

Hopefully, this type of gag will be the extent of Hairston’s hijinks for the rest of the season.