College basketball’s All-time Starting Five: North Carolina Tar Heels
With March Madness right around the corner, The Dagger is picking an all-time starting five from some of college basketball’s most tradition-rich programs.
Our picks were based on a variety of factors, including stats, tourney success, All-America selections, and of course, our opinions.
[Yahoo Tourney Pick’em is open. Sign up now and play for $50K]
Next up: North Carolina Tar Heels.
Who was considered from North Carolina:
1. Michael Jordan, G, 1981-84 (17.7 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 1.8 apg)
2. Phil Ford, G, 1974-78 (18.6 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 6.1 apg)
3. Tyler Hansbrough, F, 2005-09 (20.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg)
4. James Worthy, F, 1979-82 (14.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.5 apg)
5. Antawn Jamison, F, 1995-98 (19.0 ppg, 9.9 rpg)
6. Sam Perkins, F, 1980-84 (15.9 ppg, 8.6 rpg)
7. Lennie Rosenbluth, G, 1954-57 (26.9 ppg, 10.4 rpg)
8. Charlie Scott, G, 1967-70 (22.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg)
9. Jerry Stackhouse, F, 1993-95 (15.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 2.3 apg)
10. Sean May, F, 2002-05 (15.8 ppg, 10.0 rpg)
• Feb. 10: Arizona
• Feb. 12: Georgetown
• Feb. 17: Louisville
• Feb. 19: UConn (women)
• Feb. 22: Indiana
• Feb. 24: Syracuse
• Feb. 26: Michigan St.
• Feb. 29: Kentucky
• March 2: UCLA
• March 4: UConn (men)
• March 7: Duke
• March 9: UNC
• March 11: Kansas
North Carolina’s All-Time Starting Five
G — Michael Jordan
His game-winning shot to beat Georgetown in the 1982 national title game is one of the iconic images of the sport. His steal and dunk against Virginia in a 1983 game is one of the most memorable plays in Carolina history because it capped a 16-point comeback. He was a two-time first-team All-American and won the national Player of the Year award in 1984. Jordan was selected the No. 1 male athlete in ACC history and a member of the 50-year anniversary team in 2003. He is considered by many to be the greatest athlete of the 20th Century.
G — Phil Ford
The Tar Heels went 99-24 with Ford leading them through the disco era of the 1970s. Ford was the quintessential point guard with outstanding ball-handling skills and a tremendous shooting touch. He was a three-time first-team All-American and led the Tar Heels to the national title game in 1977. He finished his career as the national Player of the Year in 1978 and later was named one of the top-10 male athletes in the history of the ACC. Ford helped UNC win three consecutive conference regular season titles. He was the program’s all-time leading scorer for 31 years and remains third in career assists.
F — James Worthy
He was an incredibly versatile player who could handle the ball like a guard and compete inside with bigger men for rebounds and points in the paint. He could hit the outside shot and drive by defenders who foolishly didn’t respect it. He was a two-time first-team All-American and the MVP of the 1982 Final Four. Worthy was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2003 and was named one the 50 greatest players in ACC history. He was the ACC athlete of the year in his junior season.
F — Antawn Jamison
He put together one of the most remarkable seasons in the program’s history from a statistical standpoint in 1998 when he was named first-team All-American and national Player of the Year. He set the single-season rebounding record with 389 and produced the second-best single-season scoring performance that year averaging 22.2 points. He led UNC to the Final Four in his sophomore and junior seasons before jumping to the NBA. He was the first player in ACC history to earn first-team all-conference honors in his first three years. He ranks fifth in career scoring and eighth in rebounding.
C — Tyler Hansbrough
It would be a crime if the only four-time first-team All-American in the program’s history wasn’t in the starting group. He is the only player in the history of the ACC to accomplish that as well as being a first-team all-conference selection each year of his career. He was the national Player of the Year in 2008. He scored in double figures an ACC-record 133 times and is the ACC’s record holder for 20 point games. He is the only person is ACC history to lead his team in scoring and rebounds in four seasons. He is the program’s career scoring leader with 2,872 points.
Toughest omissions: Perkins was a three-time first-team All-American who finished his career as the program’s all-time leading rebounder and second in career scoring. Rosenbluth was one of the dominant players of his era who still holds UNC’s records for single-season scoring average and career scoring average. He was the national Player of the Year in 1957, leading the Tar Heels to an undefeated season and a national title. May is one of seven Tar Heels to average a double-double in his career. He was the MVP of the Final Four in 2005 and a first-team All-American that season.
