CHAPEL HILL - North Carolina seniors Quentin Thomas and Surry Wood said their goodbyes to fans Thursday night at the basketball team's end-of-season awards ceremony.

But it is still unclear whether three underclassmen -- Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington -- will bid the Tar Heels adieu as well.

Coach Roy Williams said the trio has not decided whether to jump to the NBA this summer or return to UNC for another season because "we're not finished with the process. They have to make the decision [by April] 27th, and they'll make a decision before that, but they're not finished with the process right now."

None of the three talked about their plans during the event or spoke to the media after it, but a team spokesman said the fact that the players did not announce one way or the other should not be taken as an indicator as to what their final decisions will be.

Williams said the process is taking longer than some years past because the team, which lost to Kansas in the national semifinals on April 5, played deeper into the season and he's doing research for multiple players.

"We got started seven days later than we did last year, and I would liked it to have been nine ... days later,'' he said. "That would have been a lot more fun."

By today, Williams said, he will have talked to 18 NBA teams on his players' behalf. He thinks that other underclassmen's decisions around the country will have "a little" effect on what each Tar Heel decides to do, and that the chance to win an NCAA championship "is part of it. ... But I don't think that's the only factor or the biggest factor, but any means."

Instead, he said, there are three questions each player must ask: Is going to the NBA good for you and your family? Are you ready? Is it something you want to do? If any of the players says yes to those interrogatives and submits his name for the draft, he can withdraw by June 16 as long as he doesn't hire an agent and continues to go to class. Williams has never had a player declare with the intention of "testing the waters," but he did not discount the possibility.

"If we do it the right way, we're going to get a lot of information, and I don't really know that you can gain much more by, quote, 'testing the waters,' " he said. "By the end of tomorrow, we'll have had direct contact through the [NBA's undergraduate advisory] committee, or face-to-face, or on the phone, with 18 different NBA teams. So I feel pretty secure with what we're doing. But that's not to say that I wouldn't ever have a player do that, but we haven't felt that it was necessary so far."

Draft analyst Chris Monter, publisher of College Basketball News, said this week that none of the trio would likely be an NBA lottery (top 14) pick this summer. If they return to Carolina, however, UNC will be a heavy favorite to return to the Final Four.

After all, Hansbrough, a junior, was voted the team's MVP on Thursday night after winning every national player of the year award and averaging 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds; he needs only 123 points to become UNC's all-time leading scorer. Lawson, a sophomore, won the award as the team's top assists man despite missing seven games with two ankle sprains. Ellington, also a sophomore, was the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 16.6 points.

Whether those three stay or go, UNC will add a new trio to the mix next season, as well: incoming freshman forwards Tyler Zeller and Ed Davis and point guard Larry Drew.

"I feel like every year, we definitely have a group of guys who are good enough to make a strong run," junior Marcus Ginyard said. "There's no denying that those guys would make it a lot easier for us, but it's one of those things you can't control, and you've got to just do your part to be able to contribute. If they're here, that would be awesome. That would be amazing. But if they're not, you've just got to wish them luck in all the things that they're doing and just try to make it without them."

AWARDS LIST: Along with the team MVP award, Hansbrough took home trophies for highest field-goal percentage and outstanding rebounder; Danny Green won the award for highest free-throw percentage; Thomas won the awards for most improved player and for contributions behind the scenes; Lawson won the award for top assists; Ginyard won the award for top defender; Bobby Frasor won the team's scholar-athlete award; and Thomas and Ginyard were chosen team captains.

DAVIS WILL RETIRE: Marc Davis, the basketball team's head athletic trainer for 30 years, is retiring. No replacement has been appointed yet.