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CHAPEL HILL – With North Carolina junior forward Armando Bacot posting highly impressive numbers this season, THI had the chance earlier this week to speak one-on-one with the Tar Heels’ top player to dive deeper into his game, his aspirations and more. And Thursday, we spoke exclusively with UNC Coach Hubert Davis about Bacot.
We asked the first-year head man about Bacot’s development as a player, maturity as a young man, possible NBA future, and more.
Bacot averages 16.2 points and 12.1 rebounds per game for the Tar Heels, who are 18-8 overall, 10-5 in the ACC, and have a big game Saturday at Virginia Tech.
Above is the full audio of our conversation with Davis, and below is the complete transcript of everything Davis had to say:
THI: The first question is I asked Armando about the time during his freshman season after he had the ankle injury versus Ohio State and struggled for about a month, and he told some of us in early January that year he was hearing voices in his head, which was a way of saying he was battling confidence issues.
He had to fight through it and eventually did, so I asked him what Armando as a junior would tell Armando as a freshman, and he said he’d tell him to not get defeated by one bad performance, march forward. Is that something you have seen as a big part of his maturity in development as a young man and player?
DAVIS: “Well, I did not know he had voices in his head his freshman year. For Armando, I have felt like the career that he’s having is a natural progression of college basketball players, the way that it used to be. I was a different person between my freshman and sophomore, sophomore-junior, junior-senior year. It was because of maturity, it was because of experience, on, off the court, in the classroom. It was just a number of things.
“I think we all learn and we all grow from our experiences, good and bad, that allow us to be the person that we are, the basketball player that we are. So, that’s what Armando is doing. He’s growing. He’s growing as a basketball player, he’s growing as a person, he’s growing as a teammate. It’s a natural progression of going through a number of different experiences, good and bad, and working through those things.”
THI: That’s one of the things I like about college as opposed to covering the pros is seeing that growth and maturity, and it’s so obvious in Armando. So, I also asked him about what else he needs to do to get to the next level. You have been very open discussing his hopes and dreams of playing in the NBA, and he said he’s got to step away more and recognizes there is still work to do. How do you see him work and focus on that in conjunction with the team and being the best he can right now for UNC?
DAVIS: “Honestly, I know everybody has dreams of going to the NBA. I’ll answer it a couple of ways. Number one, in order to get to the NBA, you have to do one thing exceptionally well, at the elite level. You just do. Whether you have elite athleticism, elite shooting, elite defense, elite rebounding, you have to do something at an elite level.
“To have longevity in the NBA, you have to be able to do at least one thing at an elite level consistently against elite players. It’s just plain and simple, period, the end. At the end of the day, in order to reach your dreams and goals, like what can you do at an elite level consistently that will get you there, and what can you do at an elite level that will keep you there.
“And the reason that I say that is at the end of the day, yes, specifically for Armando, and that’s we worked on threes and ballhandling all summer, because he needs to have that skill. At the end of the day, that’s not going to be the determining factor that gets him in there and helps him stay there. And I think so many kids miss that mark.
“One of the things that Armando does at an elite level is he rebounds. That translates. And so yes, his ability to step away on the floor, that’s going to be an added benefit. That’ll be great for him in the league. But what he does at an elite level is rebound the basketball. So, I think a lot of players take their eye off what is the most important thing.
“That’s what has put him in position for his dreams to come true. Not because he can now shoot the ball from the outside, it’s because he’s rebounding at an elite level.”
THI: He’s rebounding at an elite level in college, but do you think that would translate to the next level as well?
DAVIS: “I think defense and rebounding translate. It may not statistically match from college to the NBA, but I think an ability to rebound and an ability to defend, I think those things translate a lot easier than shooting and scoring and different stuff like that.”
THI: Staying on his maturity and development, do you see him play through difficult stretches now than maybe even in November? Is this something that he’s accumulating and developing as the season goes on?
DAVIS: “Yes, and it’s come in a different way. I think him handling getting through good games and bad games has been terrific. But I think it’s been an adjustment also; after that Virginia game, his numbers were ridiculously dominant. And teams shifted, so now with the shift with how teams are, not just he’s number one on the scouting report, but doing everything that they can to make sure he’s not successful out there on the floor.
“So, I think there’s more growth, there’s more maturation in terms of growing out there on the floor, and I think he’s done a really good job of it.”
THI: And to your point, last night (versus Pittsburgh), he was getting bodied a lot, and he’s getting bodied more and more and has to learn to play through that.
Davis: “Exactly, that’s exactly right.”
THI: Do you think part of the process is, and I don’t want to focus on just last night, that’s a one-off in a sense, do you think part of his process is this next level of adjustment being banged by a lot of guys because they were putting bodies on him a lot, and it looked like it frustrated him at times, especially trying to get open. Is that the next part of his process?
DAVIS: “It is, a hundred percent, a hundred percent. Now, as I said before, he’s not number one on the scouting report, he is the scouting report. You have to find ways to take that to a different level. ‘They’re going to try to do this against me, they’re going to try to take away this from me. How can I still be successful with that?’ And so that’s the next step for him.
THI: Do you think he’s at a point where it’s just a matter of working through it and he’ll be just fine, and maybe in three weeks from now, you and I have this conversation, that wouldn’t be as much an issue as it might be right now?
DAVIS: “Will he work through it? I believe he will. But it takes a lot of hard work. It’s not just on the court, it’s film work, looking at where you can get better in terms of evaluating yourself on the film, your own scouting report, how teams historically have played defensively, adjustments that you need to make, like there’s next-level preparation and process that needs to happen. And Armando will do that.
“It’s what is needed, and that’s a compliment that now you’re going to the next level that teams are paying that much attention to you.”
THI: This kind of speaks to something you said in your introductory press conference when you said you wanted guys who wanted to be there, that would appreciate being there. And the sense I’ve gotten from Armando as he’s been racking these numbers and being mentioned with Antawn Jamison or Tyler Hansbrough or Sean May, it seems like he’s really starting to appreciate and understand playing for the front of the jersey, being lumped in at times with guys whose jerseys are hanging in the rafters.
And that his perspective might be a lot different now than it was a couple of years ago about who he is as a player, what he can achieve, and the value in achieving a lot of those things at a place like Carolina. Are you seeing the same thing?
DAVIS: “My hope is, and not just in Armando but everybody, that this year has had the opportunity to have over 25 former lettermen speak to them. To have a number of former players come to the games; you’ve got Michael Jordan, you’ve got Vince Carter, you’ve got Danny Green, the 1982 championship team, that is my hope. That is my hope. It’s not just Armando.
“And one of the things I’ve said, I would love to turn off the noise, quiet down the noise of the phone, the family, and the friends, and fully invest yourself into this place. That is what is required here.”
THI: That is hard to do these days because everything is at their fingertips.
DAVIS: “It’s very hard to do these days, but it’s not impossible. It can be done, I really believe it.”
THI: A follow up on that, is that your biggest challenge right now, especially after something like last night, is that your biggest challenge, and Armando would be the lead guy on this because he’s the most accomplished one and is more the target of opposing teams. Do you have to kind of get through to him to him to get through to the other guys, and is he capable of that?
DAVIS: “No, I don’t have to get through to him to get through to the other guys. I’ve got great relationships and my communication with the team is clear and definitive and not vague in my interpretation at all. They understand where I’m coming from and what is expected and what is required of them on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.”
THI: I’m speaking more the importance of Armando being that guy when it’s needed.
DAVIS: “Are you asking do you think he’s the guy?”
THI: More so, if Armando gets it, maybe some of the younger guys that kind of look to him and maybe follow his lead some, if he gets it and echoes some of the things you’re saying, then maybe they get it a little quicker, too.
DAVIS: “I’d like it from the entire team. (laughter)”
THI: Mack Brown has said a lot that player-led teams are the most successful teams. So that’s kind of what I’m getting at. We’ve asked you about leadership a couple of times, and a few weeks ago you said you were still looking for it.
DAVIS: “I am.”
THI: And if you’re the most accomplished player on the court can be that guy, that’s even better because he’s got all that clout. That’s where I’m going with that.
DAVIS: “I agree with you, I agree with you. I do think the best teams are not just player-led, but have to have player leadership. I just do. All the teams I’ve been a part of as a player and as an assistant coach, that’s one thing that’s always been consistent with really good teams, is having great leadership in the locker room.”
