North Carolina forward Harrison Barnes, forward John Henson and point guard Kendall Marshall announced Thursday they will enter the 2012 NBA draft.
Barnes averaged a team-leading 17.1 points per game for the Tar Heels during the 2011-12 campaign, up from an average of 15.7 during his freshman season.
Henson, a two-time ACC defensive player of the year, averaged nearly a double-double for the Tar Heels in 2011-12. Marshall, who owns the ACC single-season assist record, was awarded the Cousy Award on Thursday, a recognition given to the best point guard in the nation.
When Barnes made the decision last April to return for his sophomore season, he said the team was preparing for a “special season” and made it a goal to bring the 2012 national championship to Chapel Hill.
But Sunday in St. Louis, that goal fell a bit short.
Barnes finished his final game as a Tar Heel shooting 5-for-14 from the floor, 0-for-5 from long range. In UNC’s overtime win against Ohio two days before, Barnes finished regulation 2-for-15 with five turnovers.
Despite his lackluster 2012 NCAA tournament performance, Draft Express predicts Barnes will be picked seventh in the June draft. It also predicts Henson will be picked eighth, while Marshall will be picked 14th overall.
Teammate James Michael McAdoo is also a draft prospect, but Inside Carolina reported Tuesday that McAdoos’s father said McAdoo plans to return to UNC. The NCAA requires athletes to make their draft decisions by April 10.
