UNC's Lawson, Ellington, Green to return

The three UNC players who were testing their status in the NBA draft all said they would return to campus for next season, setting the Tar Heels up for a national title run.

Point guard Ty Lawson, forward Wayne Ellington and last year's sixth man, Danny Green, withdrew their names from the draft Monday, the deadline for doing so. The players had entered the names in the draft, but did not hire agents to leave open the possibility of returning to school.

In statements released by UNC, the players spoke of a desire to capture the national title, something that eluded the Heels this season in a Final Four loss to Kansas.

Said Ellington: "“I am looking forward to working toward our goal of winning a national championship."

"I look forward," Lawson said, "to playing next season and trying to win a national championship.”

Coach Roy Williams said he supported the players' decisions, no matter what they had been. Williams had been involved in talking with NBA teams about where the players might be drafted.

"Everyone should have the right to be evaluated in terms of possibly reaching his dreams," Williams said in a statement. "I feel strongly that all of these young men will eventually be NBA players. The timing was just not exactly right at this point."

The three join All-America center Tyler Hansbrough, who earlier announced he would return to UNC for his senior season.

Lawson, a rising junior, has averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 assists in his first two seasons.

Ellington, who completed his sophomore season in 2007-08, has scored 1,092 points, was a second-team All-ACC selection in 2007-08 and has earned ACC All-Tournament Team honors in both seasons.

A rising senior, Green has compiled 871 points and 412 rebounds in three seasons, averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. He led the team as a junior in free throw percentage at .873 and was second in three-point field goals made with 56. He is 10th all-time in blocked shots at UNC with 104.

"This was an easy decision for me," Green said, "because I’m going to enjoy my senior season with great teammates and our great coaching staff for one more year.”