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• Tar Heel trio returning

  
  

  Chapel Hill, NC (Sports Network) - North Carolina's Wayne Ellington, Danny Green and Ty Lawson withdrew from the NBA Draft Monday and will return to the university for the 2008-09 season.

  The trio had entered their names into the NBA Draft pool in April but did not hire agents, leaving open the possibility of returning to school.

  "After a long and exhaustive process of gathering information and sharing it with these youngsters, I stepped back and asked them to make their own decisions," head coach Roy Williams said.

  "I'm very pleased with their decisions because I get to coach them for another year.

  "I'm also pleased that they went through the process and gained valuable information.

  It was reassuring that the feedback they got from the NBA teams is the same type of feedback our coaching staff has been giving them." Ellington, who completed his sophomore season in 2007-08, has scored 1,092 points and was a second-team All-ACC selection last season.

  "After going through this process and gaining valuable information, then discussing my future with my family as well as coach Williams, it was an easy decision for me to come back to the University of North Carolina because of my love for the university and my teammates," Ellington said.

  "I am looking forward to working toward our goal of winning a national championship." Green, who will be a senior next season, has compiled 871 points and 412 rebounds in three seasons, averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

  "I have decided to withdraw my name from the 2008 NBA Draft," Green said. "This was an easy decision for me because I'm going to enjoy my senior season with great teammates and our great coaching staff for one more year." Lawson, who will be a junior, has averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 assists in his first two seasons at the school.

  The Clinton, Maryland native directed an offense that was second nationally in scoring and led the ACC in scoring en route to winning a school-record 36 games.

  "I have withdrawn from the 2008 Draft," Lawson said. "I have decided it would be better to return to school. I love school, my teammates and coaching staff. I look forward to playing next season and trying to win a national championship." North Carolina went 36-3 in 2007-08, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament titles and reaching its 17th NCAA Final Four.

  The deadline to withdraw from the draft was 5:00 p.m. (et) on Monday.

  06/16 17:20:02 ET