Chapel Hill, N.C. — Tyler Hansbrough will return to North Carolina next season, assuring the Tar Heels of again being one of the top teams in the country, while sophomores Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington will declare for the draft but not hire agents, the school announced Friday.

UNC roared into the Final Four this season with a team determined to go further than it had the year before, when it collapsed against Georgetown in the East Regional final.

But once in San Antonio, the Tar Heels flopped, falling behind 40-12 to Kansas. Kansas went on to the national title, an outcome that certainly wasn’t lost in Hansbrough.

"I love playing at North Carolina and still have big dreams to realize here, including graduating," Hansbrough said in a statement released by UNC. "Of course I look forward to playing in the NBA some day but not next year. I love my collegiate experience and want to finish my four years here, then move on to my next dream of playing in the NBA."

College players have until Sunday to notify the NBA of their intention to enter the draft. They must notify the league by a letter postmarked on Sunday or by fax.They have until June 16 to withdraw.

Lawson and Ellington face some risk if they decide to remain in this draft. One NBA scout told WRAL Friday that this was the deepest draft in 10 years, with multiple underclassmen entering. Lawson and Ellington, despite their skills and success at Carolina, might not be first-round selections, and only first-round picks get guaranteed money.

Lawson and Ellington have not been projected as first-round picks in many mock drafts. Hansbrough also might not have cracked the first round if he entered, but the scout said he is clearly an NBA player.

But Hansbrough’s attempt to make an NBA roster will wait a year.

Gene Hansbrough, Tyler’s father, spoke with WRAL's Jeff Gravley today and said Tyler called him recently to say he was going to have a news conference.

“Well son, what are you going to say?" the father said.

"I don't know," Tyler responded. After a few moments of silence, the son laughed and said, "I'm just kidding Dad, I'm not going to have a press conference."

Gene Hansbrough said the decision wasn’t as hard as choosing a school initially.

"I could tell he was a little worried about it, but he had two great choices,” Gene Hansbrough said. “He couldn't go wrong."

Hansbrough’s return puts him in position to erase many UNC records. He has already scored 2,168 points, trailing only Phil Ford (2,290) in Carolina history.

He could also easily become the leading scorer in ACC history. J.J. Redick holds the ACC career record of 2,769.

Hansbrough's return means the Tar Heels will be loaded in the front court. Forwards Deon Thompson and Alex Stepheson return for their junior seasons, and UNC has signed center Tyler Zeller and power forward Ed Davis. Zeller is 7 feet, 220 pounds and is considered an athletic player who can face the basket and score. Davis, 6-8 and 215, is an aggressive player who gets his points inside.

Carolina also has signed point guard Larry Drew. If Lawson leaves, Carolina would have Bobby Frasor and Drew at point guard. Competing for time at Ellington’s slot would be Frasor, who can also play shooting guard, and Danny Green. But the loss of Ellington would be a blow for a team that does not feature a great deal of outside shooting.

In a statement released by UNC, Ellington said, "I really enjoy North Carolina and my teammates. I’m not dying to leave here, but playing in the NBA is another dream I have. During the next couple of months I hope to work out for NBA teams and get a more specific evaluation of where I would be positioned in this year¹s draft."

Lawson, in a similar statement, said, "I will work out for NBA teams to get a more precise evaluation of my draft status. After I do that and get more information from the teams, I will make a decision to either stay in the draft or come back to North
Carolina for my junior year."