UNC Basketball Starting Five Since 2000

The University of North Carolina, UNC, as it is known throughout the country, is a blue-blood basketball program. A hallmark of the pinnacle of the college basketball world. More than a program, it is a brand. A brand that people recognize around the world. They have won six National Championships and participated in 21 Final Fours. UNC has seen 118 players in their program get drafted. 

With so much history, it is always fun to look at the players. Who performed the best when they put that Carolina Blue on? Here is my starting five for UNC basketball since the 2000 season.

The Starting Five

G – Ty Lawson (‘06-’09)

Ty Lawson started his UNC career first-team ACC-All Freshman and ended his career as the ACC Player of the Year and second-team Consensus All-American. Lawson started 95 games in his three seasons as a Tar Heel and averaged 13.1 points and 5.8 assists. He also won the 2009 National Championship. 

G – Joe Forte (‘99-’01)

This was a competitive position, but for the purposes of this exercise, Joe Forte’s two seasons in Chapel Hill gave him the nod. Coming into UNC, Forte was a top-five recruit. He started his career with a splash, as his 16.7 points per game led to an ACC Freshman of the Year award. In his sophomore season, Forte earned ACC Player of the Year and first-team Consensus All-American honors. 

F – Sean May (‘02-’05)

UNC beat out Indiana for Sean May, a top-ten recruit and native of Bloomington, Indiana. May was a second-team All-American in his second year at UNC and first-team All-American in his junior year. He was also the NCA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player in that third season, leading the Tar Heels in points (17.5), rebounds (10.7), and blocks (1.0).

F – Tyler Hansbrough (‘05-’09)

In his four years at UNC, Tyler Hansbrough was three times a first-team All-American, and all four years, he was first-team All-ACC. In 2006 Hansbrough earned ACC Rookie of the Year honors, and in 2008, he earned National College Player of the Year honors. He exhausted his collegiate elgibility with an ACC record of 2,872 career points, a UNC record of 1,219 career rebounds, and an NCAA record of 982 made free throws. He earned All-Tournament honors during UNC’s 2009 National Championship run. 

F – Justin Jackson (‘14-’17)

Justin Jackson played a quiet game, but his results spoke volumes. From the beginning of his time at UNC, Jackson was ACC All-Freshman, starting 37 games. In his junior season, he earned ACC Player of the Year accolades, as well as first-team All-American and NCAA All-Tournament awards. The National Champion averaged 18.3 points in his final season with the Tar Heels and shot 37.0 percent from three.

Sixth Man

G Wayne Ellington (‘06-’09)

This decision came down to Raymond Felton and Wayne Ellington, and to be honest, it was a coin flip. Both guys were high-level recruits, had excellent college careers, won national titles, were first-round draft picks, and had good NBA careers. Ellington was a 6-foot-4 guard who shot 39.7 percent from three for his career. He also seemed to play his best during tournament time. Ellington was first-team All-ACC Tournament his freshmen and sophomore years and won NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player as a junior. 

The Bench 

G Joel Berry (‘14-’18), G Ray Felton (‘02-’05), G Kendell Marshall (‘10-’12), G Coby White (‘18-’19), C Armando Bacot (‘19-present), F Brice Johnson (‘12-’16), F Luke Maye (‘15-’19), F Danny Green (‘05-’09), F Harrison Barnes (‘10-’12), F Cam Johnson (‘17-’19)