Fansided

North Carolina basketball: Ranking the 27 best Tar Heels of all time

By Cody Williams

CHAPEL HILL, NC - 1983: Michael Jordan #23 of the North Carolina Tar Heels sits in the huddle against the Clemson Tigers circa 1983 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1983 NBAE (Photo by Anthony Neste/NBAE via Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - 1983: Michael Jordan #23 of the North Carolina Tar Heels sits in the huddle against the Clemson Tigers circa 1983 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1983 NBAE (Photo by Anthony Neste/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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CHAPEL HILL, NC – MARCH 3: Sean May #42 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dunks the ball over Al Thornton #12 of the Florida State Seminoles on March 3, 2005 at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels defeated the Seminoles 91-76. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC – MARCH 3: Sean May #42 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dunks the ball over Al Thornton #12 of the Florida State Seminoles on March 3, 2005 at the Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Tar Heels defeated the Seminoles 91-76. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

13. Sean May (2002-05)

Upon arriving in Chapel Hill, Sean May put the college basketball world on notice that he was going to be a double-double machine throughout his career. Though he played in only 11 games as a freshman for the Tar Heels, he was highly productive when he was on the floor, averaging 11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks in only 28 minutes per game. That was just the precursor of things to come.

May played and started in 29 games during his sophomore season at North Carolina and saw an uptick in his overall production. For the year, the Bloomington, IN product put up 15.2 points, 9.8 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. However, that was still nothing in comparison to what he had in store for what would end up being his final season in college.

As a senior, May was completely dominant as he put up 17.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in only 26.8 minutes per game, shooting an impressive 56.7 percent from the field. Furthermore, he turned it up when the lights got bright in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 22.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 31 minutes per game, shooting 66.7 percent from the field. As a result, he was named the Most Outstanding Player for the tourney while leading the Heels to their fourth title.

All told, May finished his career as a two-time All-ACC selection (second team in 2003-04, first team in 2004-05) and a second-team Consensus All-American in the 2004-05 season. With his sustained production and the fact that he paved the road to winning a championship, it’s hard not to have him sniffing the top 10.