Naismith POY Tyler Hansbrough has decided to return to North Carolina for his senior year.
However, sophomores Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington will declare for the NBA draft, but will not hire agents — leaving open the possibility of their return.
Hansbrough, a 6-foot-9 forward, averaged 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds. He led the Tar Heels (36-3) to the winningest season in school history and the Final Four while sweeping the major national player of the year awards. He already has qualified to become the eighth player in school history to have his jersey retired.
Hansbrough’s return wasn’t a big surprise considering he has long talked about his determination to win a national championship before he leaves school.
This isn’t a shock considering he isn’t playing basketball just to make a lot of money someday. It probably won’t hurt his draft stock much as scouts have had three years to pick him apart and they aren’t going to find much more to complain about if he stays in school another year. Obviously, his return makes North Carolina the favorite to win the ACC again. Duke should be better, but the Tar Heels still look like the class of the conference.
