« Men’s Basketball 2008-09

Tyler Hansbrough

School
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Position
Forward
Major
Communication Studies
PPG
22.4
RPG
7.6
APG
0.6
Tyler Hansbrough Winner

Classroom

Earning his college degree is also very important to Hansbrough as he decided to come back to North Carolina for his senior year.  He is on track to graduate with a degree in communication studies.

Character

After his sensational junior season and recognition as the nation’s top player, Hansbrough was projected as a first-round NBA draft choice but elected to return to North Carolina for his senior season.  In doing so, he became the highest profile men’s basketball player to return for a senior year since Duke’s Shane Battier in 2001, which inspired the creation of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award.  “I like my situation,” Hansbrough said in an interview with The Associated Press. “I really enjoy college. I felt like this is where I want to be. I want to be a part of this team because I consider all my teammates like my brothers, and I didn’t want to leave them behind for another year because I was wanting to do something else. I mean, I enjoy this more than anything.”

Community

The reigning college basketball Player of the Year is met with endless autograph requests wherever he goes in the community.  He also participates in team community relations activities including a holiday shopping spree for underprivileged children each winter.  In addition, Tyler and his teammates serve as hosts for 100 Special Olympians each year during a special Tar Heel basketball clinic.

Competition

Named 2007-08 National Player of the Year, the 11th Tar Heel to win NPOY honors. He was the first player to win Associated Press NPOY honors and return to school since LSU’s Shaquille O’Neal did for the 1991-92 season. Hansbrough is a three-time first-team All-America, the fifth Tar Heel (first since 1984) to be a three-time, first-team All-America. No ACC player has ever earned first-team All-America honors in four seasons. He is one of 25 three-time first-team All-ACC selections but one of only three players to be a unanimous All-ACC pick three times. A consensus first-team All-America in 2007 and 2008, Hansbrough is the fifth Tar Heel to accomplish that.  He was also recently selected as one of the top 30 midseason candidates for the 2009 Wooden Award.

He recently became UNC’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Ford (2,290) and he moved from 38th place after his sophomore season to second place after his junior season. Hansbrough is 15th in points scored by an ACC player and scored more points than any junior in ACC history, passing Georgia Tech’s Dennis Scott (2,115) for the ACC record. One of only six Tar Heels to score 2,000 or more points. He is averaging 20.1 points, the sixth-highest average by a Tar Heel. During the first round of the NCAA championships, Hansbrough became the ACC all-time scoring leader.