UNC Basketball: Five Tar Heels who outplayed their recruiting ranking

Tyler Hansbrough

Tyler Hansbrough was the No. 9 prospect in the class of 2005, third among players at his position and first in the state of Missouri. He was named Gatorade Player of the Year, Parade All-American and McDonald’s All-American as a senior. He was also crowned co-MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic.

With a pedigree like that, it might seem impossible to be underrated. It wasn’t, though, for Hansbrough, who would have been underrated at any position short of No. 1.

The 6-foot-9, 235-pound power forward out of Poplar Bluff, Missouri came in to the college ranks and immediately separated himself from the players in his class. And everyone else, for that matter.

Hansbrough became the first freshman in ACC history to score 40 points in a game in a come-from-behind win over Georgia Tech. He was the first player in league history to earn first team All-ACC honors in each of his four seasons. He was named ACC Player of the Year as a junior, and a three-time consensus first team All-American.

He never scored fewer than 18.4 points per game during his four-year career at North Carolina. And his most decorated season in 2008 was highlighted by his 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Not to mention his 54 percent field goal shooting, or 80.6 percent mark from the free throw line.

Following his junior season, Hansbrough won all six National Player of the Year awards  —  Associated Press, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, National Association of Basketball Coaches, Sporting News, Naismith, and Wooden. Winning just one of the awards would have qualified Hansbrough’s No. 50 jersey to be retired, making his sweep during awards season all the more impressive.

Hansbrough shot (1,241) and made (982) more free throws than any player in college basketball history. His 1,219 rebounds are a UNC basketball record, and his 2,872 points are still tops in ACC history.

Hansbrough’s professional career may not have panned out the way he’d hoped, but there’s no denying that his time at North Carolina solidified him as one of the greatest college basketball players to ever live.