Spencer Hawes-Not a Tar Heel

A year ago, North Carolina fans watched as Lorenzo Romar kept one of the nation’s top players away from the Tar Heels' arch rival.

This time they can only watch as the Washington head coach does the same thing to them.

Jon Brockman chose to remain home and play for Romar and the University of Washington last season despite heavy interest in Duke -- and this time around, it was another local star, Spencer Hawes (No. 3, Scout.com).

The 6-foot-11 ½, 220-pound senior big man at Seattle Prep (Wash.), according to sources close to the situation, chose the Huskies over North Carolina and Stanford after an official visit down the road at UW this weekend.

"It’s done,” the source said. "He's staying close to home."

A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday, 3 p.m. (PST) at Seattle Prep.

It’s not often that anyone beats out Duke and North Carolina in successive recruiting wars, but that’s exactly what Romar & Co. have done.

Hawes is ranked only behind Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. He averaged 16.7 points per game last season on a team led by Martell Webster and was also pursued by nearly everyone in the Pac-10.

Hawes father, Jeff, and his uncle, Steve, both played at Washington. Steve also played in the NBA with the Sonics.

However, Spencer, who played with Friends of Hoop in the spring and summer, is on track to be the most successful one of the family. He has terrific footwork, soft hands, he’s tough, plays hard and can be a force in the paint.

Hawes joins an impressive Huskies class that also includes Quincy Pondexter (No. 27), Phil Nelson (No. 66) and Adrian Oliver (No. 92).

The Tar Heels will now turn their efforts to landing a trio of frontcourt guys from a field that includes Thaddeus Young, Brandan Wright, Deon Thompson, Alex Stepheson, Darrell Arthur and Duke Crews.

Source-InsideCarolina.com