Hubert Davis calls Armando Bacot, RJ Davis Carolina guys, lauds commitment

RJ Davis and Armando Bacot showed their loyalty to North Carolina this offseason by opting to return for 2023-24. Coming off of a disappointing year in which the Tar Heels missed the NCAA Tournament, both players could have either gone pro or transferred elsewhere.

However, as UNC coach Hubert Davis explained, they wanted to continue to carve out their place in history at one of the most prestigious programs in all of college basketball.

“Both of those guys, they’re both Carolina guys,” Davis said. “They love it here. It gives me hope that talented guys, as much as they are, have a desire to still stay here and to be here because they believe in this place and they love it here. Having guys like RJ and Armando, specifically for those two, even as an assistant coach I was the lead recruiter for them. So I’ve known them even longer.

“To have those type of relationships and have them still here and have an opportunity to coach them and be around them every day is a real blessing and an honor. It’s something that a lot of coaches don’t get a chance to be able to experience.”

With Caleb Love making the decision to transfer, RJ Davis and Bacot are the two leading returning scorers for North Carolina. Bacot has dominated the paint since his freshman year in Chapel Hill, averaging 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this past season. Davis was UNC’s top 3-point shooter, making 36.2% of his long-range shots to average 16.1 points along with a team-high 3.2 assists per game.

The pair are the only two returning starters for the Tar Heels after the transfer of Love and with Leaky Black and Pete Nance on to the NBA. To make up for the losses elsewhere, UNC brought in five players via the transfer portal, including small forward Harrison Ingram, the No. 4 player in On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings.

Still, the experience of Davis and Bacot, set to enter their fourth and fifth seasons, respectively, could be what North Carolina needs to bounce back from 2022-23. Both players helped the Tar Heels finish as national runner up in the 2021-22 season, setting expectations high as UNC entered last year No. 1 in the AP poll.

Of course, that didn’t last long as they quickly fell out of the rankings following a four-game losing streak early in the year. Although they came back from that to reach the 20-win mark, those early losses cost them as they were among the “first four out” in the NCAA Tournament.

In spite of that disappointing finish, Davis and Bacot know that’s not the standard for the Tar Heels. With their decision to return this season, they’ll aim to get North Carolina back where it belongs.