CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina junior forward Armando Bacot met with the media Wednesday afternoon to field questions about extending his game from the lane this offseason, the three transfers into the program, how Hubert Davis has transitioned into the head coaching position, what is different in style and how practices are run, his NIL deal, and much more.
At 6-foot-10 and 240 pounds, the Richmond, VA, native finished last season leading the team averaging 12.3 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. He led the Tar Heels shooting 62.8 percent from the floor, blocked 29 shots, and had 19 steals. Bacot was named third-team All-ACC.
He scored in double figures in 20 of Carolina’s 29 games, had 10 or more rebounds in 10 contests, and registered seven double-doubles, which came versus Texas in Asheville, NC Central, Syracuse, at Pittsburgh, at Syracuse, and versus Notre Dame and Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament. In four postseason games, Bacot averaged 16 points and nine rebounds.
Bacot scored 20 or more points twice and totaled 15 or more points in 11 contests, including five of UNC’s last six games.
In fact, Bacot averaged 16.7 points in that span while converting 35 of 58 shots from the floor, which is 65.5 percent. He also averaged 9.5 boards in that span while playing 25 minutes per contest. Bacot averaged 22.8 minutes over the course of the season.
Below is the video of Bacot’s entire Q&A session along with some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*Hubert Davis said a couple of weeks ago Bacot has been moving his game away from the basket some this offseason. He isn’t taking a lot of three-pointers, though he has added that a bit to his game, but more stepping away and taking his man off the dribble from outside the lane.
“Yes, and even dating back to last year, my advantage going up against a lot of bigs was just taking them off the dribble from the top of the key, and that was something that Coach Davis always wanted me to take advantage of and expand on more,” Bacot said. “Obviously, with the new type of offense he’s running and different types of players he’s recruiting, he wants us to all be able to shoot and extend the floor and not limit our games.
“That’s something I’ve been working on every day with the coaches and just on my own, to be able to show more than just posting up to allow freer lanes for the guards and open up the offense more.”
*Bacot used the drive, usually from the free throw line, late last season more than earlier. He says it was simply a matter of becoming more comfortable in his being able to make the move.
“Just getting more comfortable with it, getting more into my bag,” he said. “I started to see I’m a lot faster than most bigs I played against, so just the ability to rip through and do a move or take them straight to the basket, it’s just a lot easier and also opened up a lot of other things for me, too.”
*UNC will do many of the same things on offense this season it has for a long time, but it has been tweaked to include more spread stuff. Bacot explained the differences and what remains the same.
“The thing that’s different is it’s a lot of movement,” Bacot said. “That’s kind of been hard for a lot of us to pick up. We all love it, though. It’s a lot of screening, movement, spacing the floor. It’s a lot different.”
*A big transition the players have had to make over the last five-plus months is adapting to how Davis is different from Roy Williams. Bacot described some of those differences.
“I would say he’s kind of the same, (it’s) just that we’ve been hearing his voice a lot more now,” Bacot said. “He’s ultra-competitive. He’s a good guy. It hasn’t really been much different, he’s been the same person, (we’re) just hearing him more. He’s different but kind of the same as Coach Williams, honestly.”
*UNC welcomed three transfers into the program in the offseason: Dawson Garcia (from Marquette); Brady Manek (Oklahoma); and Justin McKoy (Virginia). Manek is the 14th all-time leading scorer in Sooners history and Garcia was on the Big East All-Freshman team last season leading the Eagles in scoring and rebounding. As big men, Manek and Garcia will rotate with Bacot some down low. What has he seen from them so far?
“Brady and Dawson are two different players that we haven’t had since I’ve been here,” Bacot said. “Dawson, he can score off the dribble and he can also shoot. Brady (is) definitely one of the best big-man shooters I’ve ever played with. Just having both of them is different in their playing style, so I think it will be fun for the fans to see a different type of UNC big.
“Brady, he’s been playing basketball, this will be his fifth year, so he brings a lot of leadership to the team, a lot of experience. They’re both great guys, competitive, always in the gym, extra hours, all of that.”
*The player Bacot says will surprise UNC fans how good he is and how much he will help the team this year is the other of the trio of transfers.
“I would say Justin McKoy,” Bacot said, when asked who that player is. “I feel like he brings a dynamic we haven’t had the last few years coming from UVA. His defensive mindset. I feel like that’s been huge to all of us, his competitive nature, too. He’s probably the most competitive guy that’s been here since I’ve been here - other than probably Cole Anthony – with his drive.
“He’s always trying to play players one-on-one, he’s just real competitive in everything we do. So just having a guy like that on our team definitely changes the dynamic.”
*Bacot was the first UNC basketball player to sign an NIL deal, landing something with Jimmy’s Seafood. Bacot said his mother handles his deals, so it’s easy for him because she just runs the opportunities by him and he basically agrees. Bacot is pleased with the Jimmy’s deal.
“The first day the NIL was open, me and John, the owner of Jimmy’s, we got in contact,” Bacot said. “He’s got a meal-prep line, and I’d always been interested in eating that type of food because I knew it could enhance my body, and it was good. That’s not an endorsement, I’m just being honest (he said laughing).
“I got in contact with him, and I get free meals and stuff from them, and obviously I promote them. It’s been great. Just the NIL in general has been great for me and all the players, and a few other players have been working with Jimmy’s, too. It’s a good opportunity. And also for NIL and being able to take advantage of Name, Image, and Likeness and being able to use the money you get to give back and stuff like that has all been great.”
*Former Tar Heel Pat Sullivan is back on the UNC staff after spending nearly two decades working with several NBA organizations. Bacot has built a relationship with Sullivan, who has been a valuable tool for Bacot to learn more about how to make himself in to a professional.
“The addition of Coach Sullivan has been great,” Bacot said. “He’s kind of been like given us all advice on the next level and some of the things that they look for. But also trying to get us to incorporate that into our day-to-day life like the way pros carry themselves, some of the different workouts and things they do to go about it.
“Also, kind of the way we play, too. We got a little insight into that, too, incorporating some of the things he leaned into some of the things we do now.”
