Greatest College Hoops Player V. Greatest Rock Guitarist

According to ESPN Tyler Hansbrough was recently selected in the first round of the 2009 NBA draft. Because of this acheivement, as well as the accolades that he received while playing at the University of North Carolina, several fans have argued that he is one of the greatest college basketball players of all time. Eddie Van Halen has performed on several albums with his group Van Halen ranging from Fair Warning to OU812. Because he has produced a long-term body of work and has a unique style of playing many rock music fans consider him to be one of the greatest rock guitar players of all time. The argument over Hansbrough's star power in the college basketball universe could be considered valid while the argument over Van Halen's can't be considered valid. Here's why.

Statistics May Be Shredded Wheat But They Provide a Solid Alibi

Hansbrough put up some solid numbers as a Tar Heel. According to North Carolina's official athletic site he had the most career points by a Tar Heel (2,836), most career rebounds (1,219), most double-digit scoring games in a career (39) and most Julienne fries distributed during a game (OK, this part is a joke). The most inexperienced fan can use these numbers to determine that Hansbrough had a direct effect on his team's success and he excelled at important aspects of the game of basketball.

Conversely, Van Halen has put up some solid numbers as a band. According to their official website they have sold over 70 million albums as of 2007. Obviously, some of this has to do Eddie's guitar wizardry. But is this an accurate way to measure greatness? Guitar players such as Al Dimeola, Yngwie Malmsteen or the guy that plays at your local bar on the weekends don't have the name recoginition that Mr. Van Halen enjoys. Does this mean they're not as good, or possibly even better, because they haven't sold 70 million albums? To take this argument further, RIAA reported that Britney Spears sold 32 million albums. If her singing talent were accurately measured by her album sales, she would be a better singer than Linda Ronstadt, Enya and Janet Jackson. Try taking that argument to the bank.

Obviously, it's fun to debate greatness in either area of interest. It's just a little easier to do so with basketball than it is music.

Sources

Chad Ford, "Chad Ford's 2009 Draft Board, Round 1." www.espn.com
Author Unknown, "Tyler Hansbrough's Profile Page." www.tarheelblue.com
Author Unknown, "VHND News Archive." www.vhnd.com
Author Unknown, "Top Selling Artists." www.riaa.com