Brad_Olson
I wonder if Blake Griffin noted that Ellington, Hansbrough, and Lawson all came back for their senior year. To me that's the most impressive part of UNC's win.
Of the group you mentioned, only Hansbrough came back for his senior season. Danny Green (was the 6th man last year - no real opportunity to go pro) and Bobby Frasor (torn ACL last year - also no reason not to come back) are the other seniors with no more eligibiliity. Marcus Ginyard would have joined that group, but was hurt this year and will get a redshirt season next year. Lawson and Ellington are both juniors - and I suspect that one or both of them will go pro this year. Lawson was ACC Player of the Year AND won a national championship. He really does have nothing else to prove. Ellington would likely be drafted higher than Hansbrough in the upcoming draft.
As for Hansbrough, coming back for his senior year was a great story, but....
* What if the injury that slowed him down at the beginning of the season lingered and he was unable to play up to potential and actually DAMAGED his draft status? Every agent in America would have used him as the poster child for why kids should go pro.
* Hansbrough was never turning down first pick money - and some argue if he was turning down first ROUND money by coming back to school.
* Hansbrough doesn't face the same financial issues a lot of basketball players face when choosing between school and the pros. He comes from an upper-middle class family and does not appear to ever have lacked for anything. Many top college prospects literally do need the money to put food on their family's table.
I remember reading a story back in the day that either Chris Weber or Jalen Rose made their decision to go pro when they saw their jersey selling in the school bookstore for more money than they ever could have afforded to pay for it. They had to scrape together change to go to McDonald's - but, the university made millions of dollars off of their efforts.
Bottom line.
Yay Heels.
