North Carolina
UNC Basketball: Armando Bacot discusses final season at North Carolina
At a recent meet-and-greet, UNC basketball star Armando Bacot discussed why he elected to return to Chapel Hill for a fifth season.
What better way to open up a brand-new Dicks’ House of Sports store than to have UNC basketball star Armando Bacot there for a meet-and-greet?!
The Tar Heels big man spent over an hour and a half signing autographs and taking pictures with more than 200 fans as the store’s grand opening in Fayetteville, North Carolina seemed to be a huge success.
At the event, Bacot spent some time talking to Rodd Baxley of The Fayetteville Observer as some UNC basketball-related topics came into discussion.
Bacot had the opportunity to return to Chapel Hill for a fifth season and elected to do so. Not only did the program’s career rebounding and double-doubles king want to play in front of the fans at the Dean Smith Center once again, but also aspires to end his Tar Heels career on a high note:
“Being able to play in front of these fans for another year and get a chance to kind of fulfill what I really, ultimately want to do here, I think it’s just a great opportunity.
I definitely didn’t want to leave (last year) like that’s the last thing you think of with me playing. I definitely didn’t want to go out like that. It’s just great to get another opportunity.”
Although he still performed at a high level, Bacot’s 2022-2023 season was hampered by injuries to both ankles and his shoulder. Heading into his final collegiate season, Bacot says that he feels a lot better physically at this point in the offseason.
“I think this summer I definitely got a good opportunity just to rehab and get back to myself. I thought going into last year, I really didn’t focus hard enough on my body and feeling better.
I think I just kind of tried to push it. I had a lot of different things going on last summer and just a lot of distractions, so I didn’t get that opportunity to get my ankles back healthy and be in the right place. I think, this summer, I got a lot done in that area.”
After five seasons with the program, the Armando Bacot UNC basketball era will officially come to an end after the 2023-2024 season. Based on his recent comments, it sure seems like the Tar Heels big man has things he wants to accomplish before his college career comes to a close.
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