Hubert Davis: Armando Bacot has to be a leader for UNC basketball

First-year North Carolina basketball coach Hubert Davis said during a press conference he wants Armando Bacot to step up and be a leader this season. The former five-star prospect is back for his junior season at North Carolina and expected to play a huge role for the Tar Heels in 2021.

That isn’t limited to just making baskets and grabbing rebounds.

“He’s got to be the leader of this team on, off the court and in the classroom,” Davis said. “He’s a guy that’s been there before. And one of the things that I’ve talked about with Armando is a burning desire of mine for him to experience the Carolina that I experienced. I want him to be in big games and winning big games and in big-time situations for him to come through. I feel like the last couple years, he hadn’t been able to experience that, especially on a consistent basis.”

The Tar Heels are coming off of back-to-back lackluster seasons. In Bacot’s freshman year, they finished 14-19 and did not make the NCAA Tournament. They improved in 2020 to go 18-11 but lost in the first round of the tournament.

Coach Roy Williams retired this offseason, opening the door for Davis to take over. He spent nine years as an assistant under Williams before being promoted to the head job.

One of Bacot’s personal goals is to put together a strong enough season to get drafted in the NBA. He averaged 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game a year ago. However, all of his scoring came from inside the 3-point arc. He attempted just one shot from long range all year.

“I told Armando, in order for him to have a chance (in the NBA), he’s got to continue to make the jump that he made last year, but he’s got to be able to shoot the ball from outside,” Davis said. “And this summer, he has worked so hard on his outside shot, even all the way out to three-point range. And that’s something that we’re going to encourage. We want his ability to space the floor and be able to shoot the ball from the outside. He did it a little bit last year, but he also has the ability to put the ball on the floor. And so my hope is from an offensive standpoint, he won’t go away from what made him successful last year, but he will show more versatility in what he can do on the offensive end.”

Hubert Davis believes that with his improved outside shot, Armando Bacot can help the Tar Heels get back to being one of the elite teams in college basketball. They begin the season Nov. 9 against Loyola (MD) at home.