Hubert Davis shares offseason conversations about legacy with Armando Bacot

After appearing in the NCAA Championship game in 2022 and entering the season last year as the No. 1 ranked team in the AP Poll, North Carolina failed to make the NCAA Tournament last season for the first time since 2010.

That disappointing season left a sour taste in the mouths of many in Chapel Hill, including star center Armando Bacot, which was part of the reason why he decided to return to UNC for his fifth-year and final season of eligibility. Which was something that head coach Hubert Davis joked about with the media in a recent summer press conference.

“My conversation and communication with Armando’s been straightforward, and direct, and the same since I first saw him play at 15 years old. But this is his last year,” Davis said getting a giant laugh out of the media. “That’s a vow.”

Bacot has been the Tar Heels’ starting big man since his freshman year in the 2019-2020 season, dominating the paint in four straight seasons for North Carolina. But now that his upcoming season officially marks his final year with the team, Bacot and Davis have been discussing how his last season in the blue and white will look.

“So after this year, it’s over and Armando specifically for him has experienced the highs and the lows. And what does he want his last year to look like? What does he want to remember when he leaves this place?” Davis asked. “And we’ve had a lot of talks about that and the way that Armando has grown as a player, but more as an individual and as a leader is a thing that’s just really impressed me the most about him. And I’m impressed by a lot by him.”

Bacot has already placed himself atop the North Carolina school records books, passing Tyler Hansbrough to become the program’s all-time leader in career rebounds and surpassing Billy Cunningham as the school’s all-time leader in double-doubles.

He’ll definitely create a lot more space for himself this season and make those records hard to attain in his fifth year with the program, but Davis is most excited to see how he can elevate his game in his unquestioned last season for the Tar Heels.

“But we’ve had a number of conversations that this year is huge for him, even personally, and that he has to do everything that he needs to do in order to put himself in a position where he can the best that he can be,” Davis said. “And I’m really excited to see that type of I only have one year left mentality out there on the floor.”