Is there anything Tyler Hansbrough and the Tar Heels can’t do?

Now he and his teammates are saving lives according to this story earlier today from Yahoo Sports.

“Tyler Hansbrough has always been known for his points and rebounds, but on Thanksgiving Day in Maui, North Carolina’s All-American forward came through with a timely assist.

After winning this week’s Maui Invitational, the top-ranked Tar Heels were set to begin a long trek back to Chapel Hill, N.C., when their travel plans hit a snag. As American Airlines Flight No. 6 backed away from the gate, a passenger in seat 25C was discovered unconscious.

When attempts to wake him failed, a flight attendant yelled for assistance from some “big, strong basketball players.” Within seconds, Hansbrough had sprung from his seat six rows up and rushed to the man’s side.

Hansbrough, teammate Deon Thompson and video coordinator Eric Hoots then lifted 45-year-old Melvin Ridley into the air. Holding him chest-high, they carried him to the galley, where paramedics rendered aid for nearly 30 minutes.

Once Ridley became responsive, he was removed from the plane and transported to a nearby hospital.

“It was a scary situation,” North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams said, “but I was proud to see how our guys responded. I’m sure there are some people who saw that and thought, ‘Those are some really good kids on the North Carolina basketball team.’”

Lester Banks, Ridley’s cousin, said Ridley was diabetic and that he had a history of heart problems. Banks said Friday morning that doctors in Maui ran a battery of tests on Ridley and determined that he had a seizure. He was scheduled to be released later today and has been cleared to take the next flight home, Banks said. Ridley lives in Silsbee, Texas.

“It’s a blessing that all of this happened before the plane left the ground,” Banks said. “If this had happened up in the air … who knows how it would’ve turned out.

“I wasn’t able to tell those players how much I appreciated their help. We’re going to do everything we can to get in touch with them and to let them know how much (their actions) meant to us. They were class acts.””

Let’s see you top that Duke!