Today May Have Been Roy Williams' Best Haul in a Long Time

All around Tar Heel Nation, there are smiles. Ever since April, it has been rare to see such an occassion (with the obvious exception of Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough's decision to not go into the NBA Draft). There was the blowout to Kansas in the Final Four, Roy Williams wearing a KU sticker during the title game and the defection of four players from a team that would've been favored next season.

Today, Ty Lawson, Wayne Ellington and Danny Green all decided to come back to North Carolina next season. While Ellington and Green aren't total surprises, there was a point that it felt both would actually leave. Lawson returning is a huge surprise since (a) he didn't seem like he really wanted to come back, (b) the arrest in Chapel Hill would mean consequences from Williams and (c) his stock actually seemed to rise into easy first round status.

This is a huge get for Williams and Tar Heel fans. The only two non-returning players (that mattered) from a 36-3 Final Four team are Quentin Thomas (graduation) and Alex Stepheson (transfer) -- both reserves.

The starting lineup will probably stay the exact same: Lawson, Ellington, Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard and Deon Thompson. The bench will consist of Green (one of the best sixth men in the nation), Bobby Frasor (injured last year, a smart, steady player with a defensive presence), freshman Ed Davis (who will fill the defensive/rebounder role that Stepheson left), William Graves (long range shooter), freshman Tyler Zeller (a 7-foot guy who loves to run) and freshman Larry Drew (solid PG that won't be relied on too much).

This is probably the best collection of talent in Chapel Hill since 1993-1994 when the defending champion Heels (Eric Montross, Donald Williams, Derrick Phelps, Brian Reese) added Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse and Jeff McInnis. But, as Heels fans remember, that team grossly underwhelmed during the season and were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round (BC's Bill Curley, anyone?).

Still, there is so much to be excited about in Chapel Hill and nervous about in the rest of the ACC. Below is the comments from the Tar Heel trio about returning to school:

Wayne Ellington: "After going through this process and gaining valuable information then discussing my future with my family as well as Coach Williams, it was an easy decision for me to come back to the University of North Carolina because of my love for the University and my teammates. I am looking forward to working toward our goal of winning a national championship."

Danny Green: "I have decided to withdraw my name from the 2008 NBA Draft. The process of `testing the waters' has given me valuable information and a great experience of what the NBA process is like. This was an easy decision for me because I'm going to enjoy my senior season with great teammates and our great coaching staff for one more year."

Ty Lawson: "I have withdrawn from the 2008 Draft. The process of `testing the waters' has given me valuable information about my draft status, and I have decided it would be better to return to school. I love school, my teammates and coaching staff. I look forward to playing next season and trying to win a national championship."

Roy Williams: "After a long and exhaustive process of gathering information and sharing it with these youngsters, I stepped back and asked them to make their own decisions. I'm very pleased with their decisions because I get to coach them for another year. I'm also pleased that they went through the process and gained valuable information. It was reassuring that the feedback they got from the NBA teams is the same type of feedback our coaching staff has been giving them.

"It was a lengthy process, but one that is fair for these youngsters. Everyone should have the right to be evaluated in terms of possibly reaching his dreams. I feel strongly that all of these young men will eventually be NBA players. The timing was just not exactly right at this point. They had my 100 percent support throughout the process, regardless of which decision they might have made."