Jun 16, 2008 - 6:58 PM
0 shoutsBy PA SportsTicker
Tyler Hansbrough had three reasons to cheer on Monday.
On the day that underclassmen had their final chance to remove their name from the NBA draft, three North Carolina players - Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green - decided to return to school.
Also opting to retain his college eligibility was Arizona's Chase Budinger, the Wildcats' second-leading scorer.
Comprising the starting backcourt and the top reserve for North Carolina, the trio of Lawson, Ellington and Green teamed up with Hansbrough - the national player of the year - to help the Tar Heels record a 36-3 record along with the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season and tournament titles.
North Carolina also reached its 17th Final Four, losing to eventual champion Kansas in the national semifinals.
"After a long and exhaustive process of gathering information and sharing it with these youngsters, I stepped back and asked them to make their own decisions," Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said. "I'm very pleased with their decisions because I get to coach them for another year. I'm also pleased that they went through the process and gained valuable information. It was reassuring that the feedback they got from the NBA teams is the same type of feedback our coaching staff has been giving them."
The point guard Lawson, who was predicted to be drafted in the latter half of the first round, averaged 12.7 points and a team-leading 5.2 assists in 32 games this past season. The initiator of an high-scoring attack, the 5-11 sophomore was plagued by an ankle injury for part of the season.
"The process of 'testing the waters' has given me valuable information about my draft status, and I have decided it would be better to return to school," Lawson said. "I love school, my teammates and coaching staff. I look forward to playing next season and trying to win a national championship."
Also coming off his sophomore season, Ellington ranked second on the Tar Heels in scoring with 16.6 points and shot 40 percent on 3-pointers.
"After going through this process and gaining valuable information then discussing my future with my family as well as Coach Williams, it was an easy decision for me to come back to the University of North Carolina," Ellington said. "I am looking forward to working toward our goal of winning a national championship."
North Carolina's top reserve, the 6-6 Green averaged 11.5 points and 4.9 rebounds as a junior this past season.
A deadly 3-point shooter, the 6-7 Budinger opted to return to Arizona despite a trying season that included coach Lute Olson stepping aside to deal with a nasty divorce from his second wife.
However, Olson has announced his return to the sideline for the Wildcats, a move that Budinger believes will help him be a better player at the next level.
"The opportunity to play again for Coach Olson in my mind best prepares me to have a successful NBA career," he said. "I want to enter the NBA with great certainty of my future potential and believe the chance to develop further under Coach Olson enhances that opportunity. I want to thank the NBA and the clubs for their time and feedback and look forward to another exciting season as an Arizona Wildcat."
Also deciding to withdraw his name on Monday was forward Robert Dozier, who will return to national runner-up Memphis for his senior season.
Among other returnees were Texas' A.J. Abrams, Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo, Alabama-Birmingham's Robert Vaden, Alabama's Ronald Steele and Brigham Young's Lee Cummard.
