College coaches in all sports have a standard remark about freshmen, and it usually comes out when things aren't going particularly well on the court or the field.

"The best thing about freshmen," the coaches say, "is that eventually they become sophomores."

Some freshmen violate that law. A few, including North Carolina rookie forward Tyler Hansbrough, require an amendment.

Rule of thumb: If you're doing something unprecedented in the history of the UNC basketball program, where the superlatives have been blooming like flowers in springtime for the last 50 years, you're an absolutely phenomenal player.

Hansbrough, a 6-9 prep All-American from Poplar Bluff, Mo., is on pace to lead the Tar Heels in both scoring (17.5) and rebounding (7.3) this season. No first-year player has pulled that double at UNC. Ever.

Want more? Despite receiving as much defensive attention in the low post as any ACC rookie in recent memory, Hansbrough has managed a 61.0 field goal percentage. That's right on the heels of the best figure ever for a Carolina freshman, 62.6 by Sam Perkins.

If the 2005-06 season ended today, Hansbrough would be a lock for ACC rookie of the year and a very strong candidate for the All-ACC first team.

How's this for more good company? UNC's six ACC rookies of the year were named Perkins (1981), Michael Jordan (1982), J.R. Reid (1987), Ed Cota (1997), Joseph Forte (2000) and Marvin Williams (2005). The last freshmen to make the All-ACC first team were Georgia Tech guard Stephon Marbury and UNC forward Antawn Jamison, both in 1996.

Clearly, this first-year stuff ain't easy. N.C. State freshman Brandon Costner, a 2005 McDonald's All-American, couldn't make the Wolfpack's top eight this season, even before his injury problems. Duke rookies Greg Paulus and Josh McRoberts have cracked the starting lineup, a major accomplishment in itself, but both continue to go through very difficult (and normal) adjustment periods. The same goes for highly touted newcomers at Florida State (Uche Echefu), Georgia Tech (Lewis Clinch) and Miami (Denis Clemente), among others.

Hansbrough had no such luxury. He signed with UNC in November 2004, then watched the Tar Heels' ultimate good-news/bad-news scenario unfold before his eyes. The Tar Heels won the national championship, then became the first team in NCAA history to lose its top seven scorers without a war, plane crash or natural disaster being involved.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about Hansbrough is that he has completely avoided the typical rookie pitfalls.

His trademark aggression never seems to waver, whether he's at home or on the road, whether his team is ahead or behind, regardless of the opposing team or his own personal matchup in the post. That alone hasn't happened with a rookie very often in the almost 20 years I've been covering ACC basketball.

"(Hansbrough) is very focused. He works extremely hard," UNC coach Roy Williams said. "He battles as hard as any freshman I have ever been around. Ever. ... You usually don't find freshmen with that kind of attitude and work ethic. That's a great quality."

Hansbrough also has a very high basketball IQ, responds extremely well to coaching and somehow manages to keep an even keel emotionally despite taking a beating almost every night. He recognizes that he's a post player (no 3-pointers), and he doesn't try to be anything else. He seems to enjoy physical contact, rather than settling for fadeaway jumpers, a habit many talented big men can't shake after 10 years in the NBA, much less as a college freshman.

Since Williams told him in the preseason that he needed to be more selective with his aggression defensively to avoid foul problems, Hansbrough (whose backup is limited senior Byron Sanders) has executed the plan almost perfectly. When Hansbrough struggled from the free throw line early this season, he practiced on his own time. His percentage soon went from 65 percent to 85 percent in more recent games.

These things typically don't go so smoothly with college basketball players, much less first-year players.

Clearly, Hansbrough is no ordinary freshman. He turned 20 years old in November. Perhaps that has something to do with his advanced levels of strength, maturity, poise and performance.

One last thing: Hansbrough's mother, Tami Wheat, is a former Miss Missouri. His dad, Gene Hansbrough, is an orthopedic surgeon. They say that Tyler's typical reaction when he reads or hears about his own excellence is to point out those parts of his game he still needs to improve.

Extraordinary, indeed.