University of North Carolina Athletics
Hansbrough, Lawson Among 15 Finalists For Oscar Robertson Trophy
February 26, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 26, 2009
CHAPEL HILL - University of North Carolina standouts Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson are two of the 15 finalists for the Oscar Robertson Trophy given by the United States Basketball Writers Association to the National Player of the Year.
Hansbrough, a senior from Poplar Bluff, Mo., won the award in 2008.
North Carolina is the only school to have two players among the final 15 for the Robertson trophy. Wake Forest guard Jeff Teague is the only other ACC player on the list of finalists.
Hansbrough and Lawson are also among the mid-season list of 30 candidates for the Naismith Award and Wooden Award, which also are given to the National Player of the Year. Hansbrough won those awards last year, as well.
Hansbrough leads the ACC in scoring and is one of two players ranked in the top 10 in the league in both field goal and free throw percentages. He is averaging 21.0 points and 7.7 rebounds a game and is shooting a career-high 84.3 percent from the free throw line. He needs just 120 more points to become the alltime leading scorer in ACC history and only seven more made free throws to set the NCAA record.
Lawson leads the ACC in assists, assist/error ratio and three-point accuracy, is tied for the league lead in steals and is second in field goal shooting. He could become the first point guard to win ACC Player of the Year honors in 30 years.
The junior from Clinton, Md., is averaging 16.2 points, has 171 assists against just 52 turnovers, is shooting 55.1 percent from the floor, 49.4 percent from behind the arc and 80.0 percent from the line.
Other finalists for the Robertson Trophy are: DeJuan Blair (Pittsburgh), Sherron Collins (Kansas), Dante Cunningham (Villanova), Stephen Curry (Davidson), Tyreke Evans (Memphis), Blake Griffin (Oklahoma), Luke Harangody (Notre Dame), James Harden (Arizona State), Jerel McNeal (Marquette), Jodie Meeks (Kentucky), Hasheem Thabeet (Connecticut), Teague and Evan Turner (Ohio State).
