North Carolina basketball’s Armando Bacot made his way to a table inside Dick’s House of Sport in Fayetteville on Saturday and a fan had tears of joy streaming down her face as she waited to see the Tar Heels’ big man.
UNC’s all-time leader in double-doubles and rebounds, Bacot spent an hour and a half meeting and greeting fans, signing autographs and posing for photos with more than 200 people in a section of the 100,000-square-foot store.
“North Carolina’s such a huge brand and we have fans everywhere,” said Bacot, who decided in March to return for a fifth and final season with the Tar Heels.
“A lot of times, fans don’t get the opportunity to see me in an intimate, close setting. Just doing stuff like this is always cool.”
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In an exclusive interview with The Fayetteville Observer, Bacot discussed a number of topics ranging from UNC’s roster changes to his health and why he wanted to spend one more year in college.
Why Armando Bacot wanted one more season with UNC basketball
Bacot limped out of Greensboro Coliseum in March after a season-ending loss to Virginia in the ACC Tournament. On that night, Bacot thought he might have played his last game as a Tar Heel.
A season that started with such promise ended in disappointment with UNC being left out of the NCAA Tournament. Bacot didn’t want that to be his final memory.
“Being able to play in front of these fans for another year and get a chance to kind of fulfill what I really, ultimately want to do here, I think it’s just a great opportunity,” he said.
“I definitely didn’t want to leave (last year) like that’s the last thing you think of with me playing. I definitely didn’t want to go out like that. It’s just great to get another opportunity.”
After dealing with sprained ankles and a bruised shoulder last season, Bacot said he feels a lot better physically ahead of the 2023-24 season.
“I think this summer I definitely got a good opportunity just to rehab and get back to myself. I thought going into last year, I really didn’t focus hard enough on my body and feeling better,” he said.
“I think I just kind of tried to push it. I had a lot of different things going on last summer and just a lot of distractions, so I didn’t get that opportunity to get my ankles back healthy and be in the right place. I think, this summer, I got a lot done in that area.”
Bacot, RJ Davis ready to lead UNC Tar Heels
In addition to Bacot, lead guard RJ Davis is a returning starter for the Tar Heels. Both players experienced the high of a run to the national championship game in 2022 and the low of missing the NCAA Tournament in 2023.
“It’s our last hoorah, so we want to make it special,” Bacot said.
Davis shot a team-best 36.2% from 3-point range and was second in scoring at 16.1 points per game. The senior also led the team in assists (3.2 apg) and grabbed 5.1 rebounds per game.
“For RJ, especially, he wants to make that jump into being an All-American and paving his way. I think it’s a huge year for him. Him just leading the team and doing his thing, it’ll be good.”
What Bacot thinks about Cormac Ryan, Harrison Ingram, UNC transfers
When Bacot announced his intentions to return, he resumed his role as an active advocate and recruiter for the program.
The veteran big man played a key role in helping the Tar Heels land Harrison Ingram (Stanford), Cormac Ryan (Notre Dame), Jae’Lyn Withers (Louisville) and Paxson Wojcik (Brown) via the transfer portal. That quartet has played more than 360 games.
“We’ve got a good group of guys that’s experienced,” Bacot said. “Jae’Lyn Withers, Cormac, Harrison, Paxson have all played in a lot of college basketball games. They’ve got that experience and maturity. All those guys can shoot the ball well, and that’s something we struggled with last year.”
UNC shot 31.2% from 3-point range last season for its second-worst shooting percentage in program history. Ingram, Ryan, Withers and Wojcik combined to knock down 36.5% of their attempts from beyond the arc last season.
Bacot says Hubert Davis wants Tar Heels to pick up pace
In addition to its outside shooting woes, UNC had a problem with its pace last season.
After finishing 99th in adjusted tempo, according to KenPom.com, the Tar Heels are focused on moving past their worst ranking in that metric since 2003. UNC coach Hubert Davis has reiterated the importance of pace, Bacot said, throughout the offseason.
“The biggest thing I’d say I took away from this summer is just running,” Bacot said. “I think he wants to get back to really running that secondary break and getting up and down, so that’s been a huge emphasis for us.”
What’s Bacot think about UNC freshman Elliot Cadeau?
Freshman guard Elliot Cadeau, the No. 1-ranked point guard in the Class of 2024, announced in May his plans to reclassify and join the Tar Heels a year earlier than expected.
Known as an elite playmaker, Cadeau’s ability as a facilitator aligns with UNC’s hopes to have better ball movement. The Tar Heels assisted on 45.8% of their shots last season, ranking 310th in that category according to KenPom.com.
“Just the way he sees the floor, I haven’t really played with a guard that can see the floor as good as him. He’s been great this summer,” Bacot said of Cadeau.
“Some of the passes he’s made and the pace at what he plays at is just huge for us. It’s obviously gonna be a learning curve because he’s a young guy. But once you get over that hurdle and get more and more experience, he’s gonna be a great player, for sure.”
Bacot’s thoughts on Caleb Love, UNC departures
Following the 2022-23 season, UNC had seven players enter the transfer portal.
Tyler Nickel (Virginia Tech), Justin McKoy (Hawaii), Will Shaver (UAB), Dontrez Styles (Georgetown), Puff Johnson (Penn State), D’Marco Dunn (Penn State) and Caleb Love (Arizona) moved on to other programs.
Despite the changes, Bacot doesn’t have any hard feelings for that group.
“The only ones I’ve really got a chance to talk to the most this summer have been Caleb and Justin. They’ve both been doing good,” Bacot said. “Obviously, Caleb, he’ll be Carolina forever. Wishing him the best, and I know he’ll do good at Arizona. I know Justin will do good at Hawaii, and all the other guys, too.”
Depending on UNC’s schedule, Bacot even teased the idea of making the trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Nov. 10 to see Love and the Wildcats play Duke.
“I might actually try to go that game,” Bacot said with a smile. “I’ve been thinking about that. I kind of do want to see it, for real.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at [email protected] or @RoddBaxley on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Armando Bacot talks UNC basketball, changes with Tar Heels
