CHARLOTTE – North Carolina forward Armando Bacot met with the media in the interview breakout room at the ACC Tipoff on Wednesday, and THI caught up with him for part of his session.
Here, Bacot discusses several things about the Tar Heels:
*Does UNC have enough depth for Hubert Davis to employ what is known in hockey as “line changes,” Bacot jokingly said yes, but seriously agreed they do have a deep bench.
“We definitely have depth that if somebody’s not doing what they’re supposed to do, he definitely can move some people around.”
Bacot says he isn’t sure yet how Davis will use the bench, the manner he will sub in players, or even if there will be a verifiable line change.
“I don’t know yet, but this year, we have a lot of guys where if I mess up he can play a Jalen Washington, of if RJ misses a defensive assignment, he can put in Elliot (Cadeau). Just all around the board, there’s a lot of guys that can be moved around.”
*UNC brought in five transfers after losing seven, plus two true freshmen are on the roster that has 11 scholarship players. Bacot says this year’s team is very different in many ways.
“That we’re different. A lot of people, just us being at UNC, try to tie last year to this year. But it’s a completely different team. We’ve got a bunch of new guys, a different playing style how we play. I think just knowing that and realizing that is good.”
*Paxson Wojcik is currently in the starting lineup and may stay there. RJ Davis spoke about the intangibles and grittiness Wojcik brings to the floor, to which Bacot agreed.
“Honestly, I didn’t know he was going to be that good for us. And I think he’ll be a huge impact player for us this year. He can do a lot of the small things, like he dives on the floor for the loose ball, he can defend, he can knock down shots, and he’s experienced. So, I think it’s great having a guy like that who’s played four years in college and is ready to play.”
*UNC beat Florida Atlantic by close to 20 points in a scrimmage at FAU last Saturday. Bacot was asked what his main takeaway was with their performance.
“We can compete, and I don’t want to jinx us, but we looked real good defensively. That was really encouraging for me. I really thought we would struggle against FSU because they had experienced guys, they had been playing with each other, made the run, they’ve got four guards that can all score off the dribble. So, I really honestly, going into that game I didn’t know what to expect. But it was real encouraging how we defended, how we played smart.
“We made a lot of mistakes, I didn’t have a great game, and we won by a lot. So that just shows this year we’ve got depth and we’ve got a lot of guys that are ready to play.”
*And the biggest difference in how the team meshed at FAU, and even in practice, as opposed to last season?
“The trust was there. And I think that was a huge problem for us last year. We didn’t do a good job of trusting each other. But this year, I’m confident enough to go block that shot weakside because I know Cormac will be there; he’ll be in front of my man who won’t get an easy dunk. And I think that’s something coaches have been trying to hammer into us.”
