March 28, 2007

CHAPEL HILL -- University of North Carolina sophomore forward Tyler Hansbrough is one of 10 players selected to the John R. Wooden Award All-America Team and is one of five finalists for the national player of the year award named in honor of the former UCLA coach.

Joining Hansbrough on the Wooden Award All-America Team are: Arron Afflalo (UCLA), Aaron Brooks (Oregon), Kevin Durant (Texas), Nick Fazekas (Nevada), Acie Law (Texas A&M), Joakim Noah (Florida), Greg Oden (Ohio State), Brandon Rush (Kansas) and Alando Tucker (Wisconsin).

The five finalists for the Wooden Award as the player of the year are Hansbrough, Durant, Law, Oden and Tucker. Three former Tar Heels have won the Wooden Award - Phil Ford in 1978, Michael Jordan in 1984 and Antawn Jamison in 1998.

Hansbrough is one of five players in the country to earn consensus first-team All-America honors. He received first-team honors from the NABC, USBWA and Sporting News and was a second-team selection by the Associated Press. Afflalo, Durant, Law and Tucker are the other consensus All-Americas this year.

The Poplar Bluff, Mo., native is tied for eighth place alltime at Carolina in scoring average at 18.6 per game. This season he led UNC and was fourth in the ACC in scoring at 18.4 points per game. He scored in double figures in 33 games this year and scored 20 or more points 17 times. He also led the team and was second in the ACC in rebounds at 7.9 per game.