Tar Heels to retire Hansbrough's No. 50

Chapel Hill, N.C. -- Junior forward Tyler Hansbrough will have his No. 50 basketball jersey retired by the University of North Carolina Tar Heels.

North Carolina officials made the announcement Tuesday after The Sporting News made Hansbrough its college player of the year.

"By winning this award, Tyler qualifies to move into the front row in the rafters and have his jersey retired whenever he decides to leave the University of North Carolina," North Carolina Coach Roy Williams said. "There will never be another one just like him."

Hansbrough leads the Atlantic Coast Conference this season with 23.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game and, with 2,001 points, is the sixth-leading scorer in North Carolina history.

He is the eighth member of the Tar Heels men's basketball program to have his jersey retired. The others are Jack Cobb (no number worn, played 1924-26), George Glamack (No. 20, 1939-41), Lennie Rosenbluth (No. 10, 1954-57), Phil Ford (No. 12, 1974-78), James Worthy (No. 52, 1979-82), Michael Jordan (No. 23, 1981-84) and Antawn Jamison (No. 33, 1995-98).

The Tar Heels (29-2, 14-2 ACC) recently wrapped up the regular-season conference title and head into this week's conference tournament as the top seed.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.