POPLAR BLUFF—Tyler Hansbrough is the type of guy you might run into around Poplar Bluff. With the NBA in its off season, he has been known to hang out with his high school friends.
Bill Vail, 12-year pastor of First Baptist Church, Poplar Bluff, was not around when Hansbrough was baptized at the church, but he is willing to talk about him likely being a good ambassador for Christ right now with the Indiana Pacers.
“I think he was a good kid,” Vail said, “His mother tried to raise him to know Christ and to walk with him and to be involved in church. He’s a nice guy—probably as good a role model as you would find in professional sports today.”
He is certainly well known in the town where he grew up, having led Poplar Bluff High School to back-to-back state championships and scored more than 2,500 career points.