Tyler Hansbrough, who put together perhaps the most decorated career in the history of the UNC men’s basketball program, will deliver the keynote address at the university’s New Student Convocation later this month. The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, August 17 at 5:30 p.m. in the Dean Smith Center. Classes begin the next day.

Chancellor Lee Roberts, who will also speak at the convocation, announced Hansbrough as the featured speaker at UNC’s Board of Trustees meeting last week.

“We couldn’t be more excited to welcome more than 6,000 first-year and transfer students to campus,” Roberts said. “We look forward to kicking off the academic year with them at Convocation, where we are delighted to have Tar Heel legend Tyler Hansbrough as our guest speaker. I know he will share an inspiring message, and it’s going to be a fun and exciting day for these new Tar Heels.”

Hansbrough is the only player in ACC history to earn four first team All-ACC and first team All-America honors. He is UNC’s and the ACC’s all-time leader in scoring with 2,872 career points, holds the NCAA record for made free throws (982) and is the fourth-leading scorer in NCAA Tournament history (325 points). He swept all major National Player of the Year honors in 2008, then capped off his college career by leading the Tar Heels to a national title in 2009. In 2023, Hansbrough was inducted into the National College Basketball Hall of Fame.

After being picked No. 13 overall in the 2009 NBA Draft and playing professional basketball for more than a decade, Hansbrough has returned to the program to serve as a radio analyst for the Tar Heel Sports Network. The 2024-25 season was his second on the air.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my four years at Carolina as a student and am honored to help the chancellor and university kick off a new year by speaking at Convocation,” said Hansbrough. “The start of another school year is always an exciting time, especially for all the new students. It should be fun to once again spend time with a group of enthusiastic students at the Smith Center, a place where I shared many great memories with UNC fans.”

Convocation doors open at 4 p.m., and parking is available in the Skipper Bowles lot. The annual FallFest event will be held in Kenan Stadium immediately following the conclusion of Convocation.

 

Featured image via Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill.

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