Fansided

Ranking the top 30 UNC basketball players in program history

By Cooper Watson

CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 7: Michael Jordan kisses former coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels during a halftime ceremony honoring the 1993 national championship team during a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Dean Smith Center on March 7, 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - MARCH 7: Michael Jordan kisses former coach Dean Smith of the North Carolina Tar Heels during a halftime ceremony honoring the 1993 national championship team during a game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at the Dean Smith Center on March 7, 2007 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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CHAPEL HILL, NC – FEBRUARY 12: Former North Carolina Tar Heels player Antwan Jamison is honored, and sharing stage with North Carolina Chancellor Carol Folt (2nd from left), during a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on February 12, 2018 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 66-83. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC – FEBRUARY 12: Former North Carolina Tar Heels player Antwan Jamison is honored, and sharing stage with North Carolina Chancellor Carol Folt (2nd from left), during a game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on February 12, 2018 at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 66-83. (Photo by Peyton Williams/UNC/Getty Images) /

8. Antawn Jamison (1995-98)

Three UNC players have been the unanimous National Player of the Year: Michael Jordan, Tyler Hansbrough, and Antawn Jamison.

Jamison’s junior season–his final in Chapel Hill—saw him average 22.2 PPG and 10.5 RPG on 57.9% shooting. Blake Griffin in 2008-09 is the only power conference player who has matched those numbers since. For his career, Jamison averaged 19.0 PPG and 9.9 RPG on 57.7% shooting. He ranks seventh in UNC history for career rebounds and eighth for career points.

Perhaps Jamison’s most important accomplishment though was leading UNC to their second straight Final Four in 1998. This was incredibly impactful in showing the staying power of North Carolina basketball, considering that Dean Smith had retired before the 1997-98 season. Those back-to-back Final Four appearances, both led by Jamison, enabled Smith to retire on a high note but also helped push the program into a successful new era.