**************************************************************************************
And Remember, for just $8.33 a month, YOU CAN BE AN INSIDER, TOO!!!
***************************************************************************************
North Carolina junior forward Armando Bacot has decided to remain at UNC for his senior season and not enter his name into the 2022 NBA Draft.
The 6-foot-10 native of Richmond, VA, tested the draft waters last season, and while he could have again, he has decided not to.
Bacot led the Tar Heels in scoring at 16.3 points per game, rebounding at 13.1 per contest, he blocked 65 shots, handed out 59 assists, registered 33 steals, shot 56.9 percent from the floor, and converted 67 percent of his free throw attempts.
He also tied Navy’s David Robinson (1985, 1986) for the all-time single-season record with 31 double-doubles. Five times Bacot grabbed 20 or more rebounds in a game. also became the first player in history to record a double-double in all six NCAA Tournament games, including pulling down 22 rebounds in the Elite Eight win over St. Peter’s and 21 in the national semifinals victory over Duke.
Bacot had 10-plus rebounds in UNC’s final eight games, in 12 of its last 13 contests, and in 25 of the Tar Heels’ final 30 games. He grabbed at least 15 rebounds in 14 games, including in nine of the Heels’ last 13 contests. He scored 20 or more points in 10 games, and was at 17 or more 18 times.
Not only did Bacot improve his defensive play and become the player spokesman, but he also developed into one of the top ball screeners in the nation, which was a big part of Carolina’s offensive efficiency going up, especially against quality defenses.
For Bacot, being a part of something special is something that is extremely important to him, he told THI in an exclusive interview.
“I want to put a team banner somewhere up there in one of those categories,” he said. “I just want to be a part of some type of team history at North Carolina. If that’s winning an ACC regular season championship, ACC Tournament, national championship, just something.”
Bacot is not included in the first round of any noteworthy recently updated NBA mock drafts, and is in the second round at Nos. 40 and 54 on NBADraft.net and NBADraftRoom.com, respectively. Most mock drafts do not include a second round at this time.
Some more Bacot notes:
*Bacot finished the season with 511 rebounds, the most in UNC history, 95 more than the next highest total (Brice Johnson 416 in 2016), and the fourth most in ACC history and the most since 1956.
*Bacot has 1,301 career points, placing him 46th on UNC’s all-time list.
*He has 1,001 career rebounds, joining Billy Cunningham and Antawn Jamison as the only Tar Heels with 1,000 or more in three seasons. Bacot is 10th all-time in rebounding at UNC.
*Some other career numbers: 121 assists, 127 blocked shots, 68 steals, a 55.6 field goal percentage, 66.1 free throw percentage, and he has played 2,673 minutes in 100 games as a Tar Heel.
*Bacot’s career per-game averages: 13.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.3 bpg.
