By Joedy McCreary
Associated Press
RALEIGH ó Tyler Hansbrough’s impressive list of accolades continued to grow Monday when the North Carolina star became the first player in league history to be unanimously selected four times to the all-ACC team.
Tar Heels teammate Ty Lawson joined him on the first team, along with Florida State guard Toney Douglas, Duke swingman Gerald Henderson and Miami guard Jack McClinton in voting by 76 members of the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association.
Hansbrough last year became the third player in league history to be unanimously named to the all-ACC team three times, joining N.C. State’s David Thompson (1973-75) and Duke’s Art Heyman (1961-63).
The 6-foot-9 big man went out and one-upped himself during his senior season.
“It’s quite an honor considering all the great players that have played in the ACC,” Hansbrough said. “It’s really a tough league, year in and year out. If it’s not the best league in a given year, it’s always one of the best.
“I don’t think in terms of individual awards and accomplishments, but to do something that’s never been done before in a league as great as the ACC is pretty cool.”
Hansbrough leads the league with a 21-point scoring average. The reigning national player of the year and leading scorer in school history enters this week’s ACC Tournament only 52 points shy of J.J. Redick’s three-year-old league record of 2,769 career points.
McClinton, the only other repeat selection to the first team, is the ACC’s leading 3-point shooter. He has made 46 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, and he ranks third in the league with a scoring average of 19.7 points.
Douglas was a near unanimous selection ó he received 226 of a possible 228 voting points. He is scoring 20.8 points per game, second in the ACC, and is the league’s leading scorer in conference games.
Lawson leads the ACC with 6.5 assists per game and an assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.3. His scoring average of nearly 16 points ranks 12th in the conference.
Henderson, Duke’s leading scorer, averages 16.6 points and scored at least 19 points in seven of his final nine games.
The three all-ACC teams were once again dominated by balance: Ten of the league’s 12 teams placed at least one player into the 15 slots.
Wake Forest guard Jeff Teague was joined on the second team by Clemson big man Trevor Booker, Boston College guard Tyrese Rice, Duke forward Kyle Singler and Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez.
The third team featured Wake Forest’s James Johnson, Virginia Tech’s Malcolm Delaney and A.D. Vassallo, North Carolina’s Danny Green and Georgia Tech’s Gani Lawal.
UNC’s Wayne Ellington, who received five fewer votes than Lawal, topped the honorable-mention list. Clemson’s K.C. Rivers was next in the voting.
The league also announced its all-freshman and all-defensive teams, and those teams were dominated by Florida State and Wake Forest.
Demon Deacons forward Al-Farouq Aminu joined Virginia’s Sylven Landesberg as unanimous selections to the all-rookie team. They were joined by Georgia Tech’s Iman Shumpert, Florida State’s Solomon Alabi and North Carolina’s Ed Davis.
Alabi and Douglas also made the all-defensive team, and they were joined by Booker, Green and Wake Forest guard L.D. Williams.
Booker and Douglas led the defensive nominees with 67 votes apiece. Lawson, Henderson, Lawal and N.C. State’s Courtney Fells were honorable mention.