By Jim O’Connell
Associated Press
Blake Griffin and Tyler Hansbrough spent a lot of time together on the court Sunday, and they were back together Monday as the top vote-getters on The Associated Press’ All-America team.
Griffin, the sophomore forward from Oklahoma who led the nation in rebounding, was the only unanimous selection. Hansbrough, the consensus player of the year last season as a junior, repeated as a first-teamer one day after his Tar Heels beat the Sooners to advance to the Final Four.
Joining them on the team were players from schools with little All-America history: Pittsburgh’s DeJuan Blair, Arizona State’s James Harden and Davidson’s Stephen Curry.
Griffin received 71 first-team votes and 335 points from the same national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. Balloting was done before the NCAA tournament.
Hansbrough, a unanimous pick last season along with Kansas State’s Michael Beasley, got 50 first-team votes and finished with 304 points. This is the fourth straight season the 6-foot-9 forward received All-America recognition. He was a third-team pick as a freshman and was on the second team after his sophomore season.
Blair is Pittsburgh’s second first-teamer, joining Don Hennon in 1958. Curry, who led the nation in scoring, is Davidson’s second as well. Fred Hetzel was Davidson’s initial first-teamer in 1965. Harden is Arizona State’s first AP All-American.
Hansbrough, who is in his second straight Final Four with the Tar Heels, is the third North Carolina player to repeat. He joins Phil Ford (1977-78) and Michael Jordan (1983-84).
“Those are some of my favorite Carolina players,” Hansbrough said. “To be up there with them ó that’s special. I never dreamed of that when I came here.”
Curry became an overnight star in Davidson’s run to the round of eight last season, and he backed it up with a junior season in which he made the transition to point guard.
He averaged 28.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists as the Wildcats won the Southern Conference regular season title but lost in the tournament and didn’t make the NCAA field.
“It was difficult to go from being a scoring threat to someone who creates for others, but my teammates helped me in my transition and made my job easier,” said Curry, who received 288 points. “It was a tough challenge, but I met it head on and worked hard to be the best point guard I could be.”
Connecticut center Hasheem Thabeet led the second team with 238 points. He was joined by senior Jerel McNeal of Marquette along with three juniors in Ty Lawson of North Carolina, Luke Harangody of Notre Dame and Jodie Meeks of Kentucky.
The third team had seniors Terrence Williams of Louisville, Toney Douglas of Florida State and Sam Young of Pittsburgh along with juniors Sherron Collins of Kansas and Gerald Henderson of Duke.