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CHARLOTTE – North Carolina junior Armando Bacot participated in the ACC Tip Off event on Tuesday at the Marriott Charlotte City Center, fielding questions about the improvements he’s made both on, and off the court, the team’s direction, the transition from Roy Williams to Hubert Davis at the top of the program.
Above is a video from Bacot’s Q&A session in the breakout room, and below are some notes and pulled quotes from what he had to say:
*Through his first two seasons in Chapel Hill, Bacot has only attempted one shot from beyond the arc, which did not go in. Davis has made it a point of emphasis to incorporate the three-point shot into the team’s offense, and that includes Bacot.
Bacot acknowledged his improved jump shot, and how the coaches have helped him.
“Coach Davis and (assistant) Coach (Jeff) Lebo are two of the greatest shooters at UNC,” Bacot said. “So, having them be able to critique my jump shot, and help me has been good.”
With the improvements made, can UNC fans expect Bacot to actually take three-point shots in live games? Bacot let in on what Davis expects of him.
“Coach Davis actually told me today he better see me shoot some threes at late night,” Bacot laughed. “It’s kinda crazy to think he actually wants me to shoot a lot of threes.”
*The additions of Brady Manek and Dawson Garcia make Bacot the only post-centric big. For a guy that shot 62.8 percent from the field last season, a lot of which coming in the paint, Bacot is confident in his post ability.
“It’s been great just getting one-on-one coverage,” Bacot said. “At the college level, me versus anyone in the paint, I feel like I have the advantage.”
As Bacot draws attention in the paint, Carolina should get a lot of open looks from outside. Last season, UNC ranked 13th out of 15 teams in the ACC in three-point percentage (31.8), and 12th in makes (162).
“All of our transfers are really good shooters,” Bacot said. “Kerwin (Walton) is a better shooter, RJ (Davis) and Caleb (Love) will be more improved shooters. I feel like we got a chance to go from the worst shooting team in the ACC, to probably the best shooting team.”
*In the offseason, Bacot posted a picture of himself, displaying a much bigger frame. The photoshopped picture got a lot of national media attention, with some even believing it was a real image.
“One of the media guys, we just did it as a joke,” Bacot laughed, referring to someone who specializes in edits for social media. “I wasn’t expecting it to blow up like that, but it was kinda funny.”
While the image may have been a joke, it did reflect some of the changes that Bacot made to his body during the offseason.
“I wanted to gain a little weight,” Bacot said. “When I got back, I weighed myself and I was like 232 (pounds). Just getting a chance to workout at the NBA workouts, I knew I had to get bigger. If that’s the level I wanna go to, a lot of the guys that are playing are like 250, so I wanted to get bigger. Now I’m like 245.”
*In order to improve his shot, Bacot said that he has to make at least 1,000 shots every week. 1,000 makes can take a lot of attempts, but Bacot has worked to make sure he is efficient.
“I try to be somewhere between the 65-70 percent range,”
While that number is just for practice reps, Bacot said he shoots around 40 percent in live action runs.
*It’s no secret that UNC has first-year head coach. When it comes to the transition from Williams to Davis, Bacot provided an interesting analogy to describe the situation.
“It’s kind of like an iPhone update, a software update. It’s like a newer version,” Bacot joked.
Even with the “software update,” Bacot still sees lots of similarities between Davis and Williams, through both workouts, and personalities.
“We don’t run as many 33’s as we used to, but it’s still a lot of up-tempo running,” Bacot said. “It’s kinda funny because you hear him saying some of the same stuff, same exact stuff as Coach Williams said.
“It’s just funny to see him say it now in the head coaching role, but we’re like ‘oh, you sound just like Coach Williams.’”
