As North Carolina fans talk about the hopes of a redemption tour similar to the 2016–17 men’s basketball season, news broke on Wednesday that may be part of the puzzle for a repeat.
Armando Bacot, one of the core members of the Iron Five, announced that he would be returning next season for the Tar Heels rather than opting for the NBA draft.
The star forward released a video about his decision, the opening and tweet “Tar Heel forever” itself giving fans the feeling that he was moving on. Bacot said, “I look forward to coming back in the summers as an alum, playing pick-up with the current guys and teaching them the same things that we were taught by the former players.
“That’s my responsibility as part of the Carolina family. But I’m not ready to do that just yet.”
This season, which included beating Tobacco Road rival Duke in the Final Four and losing by just three points to Kansas in the national championship, showed Bacot that he does “not want to miss the chance to do it again next season.”
“I know there are no guarantees, but I want the opportunity to play in those big games, to keep Carolina on that national stage and to have the chance to do what coach [Hubert] Davis has talked about since his first day on the job: put another banner in the Smith Center,” he said.
Bacot had a breakout season this year, tallying 31 double doubles to tie the all-time Division I record set by Navy’s David Robinson in 1986. The Tar Heel was named to the first-team All-ACC and finished second in ACC Player of the Year voting this season. Bacot averaged a double double of 16.3 points and 13.1 rebounds per game over 39 contests, the only player in the conference to accomplish the statistic.
He is the first starter with remaining eligibility to announce his plans for next season.
“My Carolina story isn’t finished just yet. Next season starts right now. My name is Armando Bacot, and I’m a Tar Heel.”
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