Hansbrough joins David Thompson of NC State (1975) and Josh Howard of
Wake Forest (2003) as the only unanimous selections in the 55-year history
of the ACC.
"Tyler has been fantastic all year on both ends of the floor, yet he really
elevated his game over the second half of the ACC schedule," said UNC
head coach Roy Williams. "A number of our players stepped forward in Ty
Lawson's absence, but Tyler had the ability to dominate key stretches of
games and that gave our players a level of confidence that pushed us toward
the regular-season ACC title. It is gratifying to see the awards and rewards
go to a young man who doesn't rest on his previous accomplishments and works
so hard to improve each and every day. I am lucky to be his coach."
Hansbrough is the 11th different Tar Heel to win ACC Player of the Year
honors and the first since Joseph Forte shared the award with Duke's Shane
Battier in 2001. Hansbrough joins a list of UNC recipients that includes
Lennie Rosenbluth (1957), Pete Brennan (1958), Lee Shaffer (1960), Billy
Cunningham (1965), Larry Miller (1967 and 1968), Mitch Kupchak (1976), Phil
Ford (1978), Michael Jordan (1984), Antawn Jamison (1998) and Forte (2001).
Carolina's 12 ACC Player of the Year selections are second-most in ACC
history.
Hansbrough leads the ACC in scoring and rebounding this year with 23.1
points and 10.5 rebounds per game. He tied a single-season ACC record by
winning seven player of the week awards. He led his team to a 14-2 record in
conference play that clinched the school's 26th ACC regular-season
championship.
He is the sixth-leading scorer in UNC history with 2,001 points and
is third all-time in ACC history for most points by a player as a junior. He
set the UNC record for most free throws made and is tied for second in
league history for free throws made by an ACC player with 690.
Hansbrough is also one of only three players in the 55-year history of the ACC to earn unanimous first-team All-ACC honors for three consecutive years.
He has also earned two national Player of the Year honors thus far, from Sports Illustrated and The Sporting News -- the latter of which ensures his jersey number will be retired at UNC.