Hairston to begin practice with team

North Carolina junior guard P.J. Hairston has earned the right to join the North Carolina basketball team at practice when it officially opens today, coach Roy Williams announced at UNC’s media day Thursday.

Williams hasn’t yet determined how many games Hairston will miss, but in the preseason, Williams has punished Hairston with additional conditioning.

“(Hairston) has done more conditioning in this preseason than any player I’ve ever had,” Williams said. “He’s done three times more than any player I’ve ever had.

“He hasn’t asked me the question yet, but I know it’s in his mind, he’s wondering if he’s on a track scholarship, he’s just done a great job with that.”

Hairston was not made available for the team’s media day but issued an apology in a release.

“I am so sorry for the mistakes I made that brought such negative attention to the team, the University of North Carolina and my family,” Hairston said in the release. “That’s not how I was brought up and it’s certainly not how coach Williams expects us to represent this program.

“I know I let a lot of people down, including our fans and all the people who love not just the basketball team but UNC.”

Hairston has also apologized to his teammates for his actions this summer and the resulting consequences, and teammates said his actions show that he is trying to turn things around.

“You can tell by his actions — the way he works hard in the gym, the extra running — you can tell that he’s sincere about everything,” senior guard Leslie McDonald said.

Williams answered questions on Hairston’s status for just more than 10 minutes Thursday, but he didn’t speak to the NCAA’s involvement with Hairston’s case.

Williams said in his eyes, Hairston would definitely play.

“There’s no question in my mind,” Williams said of Hairston’s inevitable return to the court.

“When I completely decide what it’s going to be, I’ll tell you,” Williams said. “And it’ll be before the seasons starts.”

Though Hairston — who was suspended indefinitely July 28 following a reckless driving charge — is an upperclassman, Williams said he will not have a leadership role on the team.

“I’ve told him that he cannot be a leader,” Williams said.

“If I have any questions about where we want to eat or what movie we want to see, what time we’d rather have practice — I will not ask him. I will ask other members on the team.

“The junior class has always shared some of those leadership responsibilities. I told P.J. he has none of those.”

With practice beginning earlier than in previous years due to new NCAA rules, the team has 42 days before the season opener against Oakland.

Williams hasn’t yet determined the amount of game time Hairston will miss, but he has resolved to announce the decision before the the team takes the court for the first time on Nov. 8.

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