UNC forward Leaky Black inks NIL deal with Ease Plumbing

NIL deals across the country have gotten creative to include players with creative names that fit their brands. First, we had Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinistry sign a deal with Kool-Aid. Then, we had Nebraska’s Decoldest Crawford sign a deal with SOS Heating & Cooling. We can now add North Carolina’s Leaky Black to the creative name NIL deal list. A few weeks ago, Black inked an NIL deal with Ease Plumbing and Air–a company that happens to operate in his hometown of Concord, North Carolina. Much like Crawford and McKinstry, the deal makes perfect sense and fits Black’s name like a glove.

On the court, he’s a returning member of one of the most talented rosters in college basketball heading into the 2022-2023 season. Last season, Black averaged 4.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game, while shooting 46.6 percent from the field. Known as one of the Tar Heels’ most critical defenders, he’s known for using his 6-foot-9, 205-pound frame to matchup with a wide range of players. In the Final Four last year against Duke, he limited A.J. Griffin to just six points on seven shot attempts. Black was recently listed as one of college hoops’ expert Jon Rothstein’s 10 best glue guys in the game.

Last year’s trip to the Final Four was the 21st in program history for the Tar Heels.

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Big man Armando Bacot is back for them. As is Caleb Love. The combination of those two players alone will present massive problems for college basketball teams across the country. Bacot landed on the preseason first team All-American list for Chris Dortch’s Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. Caleb Love landed on their preseason third team All-American list. Both players are as advertised and are a big reason North Carolina earned the No. 1 overall spot in Blue Ribbon’s Preseason Top 25 Rankings for the 2022-2023 season.

North Carolina’s Leaky Black is part of one of the best returning rosters in all of college basketball heading into 2022-2023

Armando Bacot put up historically good numbers last season for the ‘Heels and he was a double-double machine–cranking out 31 for the 2021-2022 season. Not only that, the 6-foot-11, 235-pounder became the first player in NCAA history to record six double-doubles in a single NCAA Tournament.

He averaged 16.3 points per game on 56.9 percent shooting as a junior. Bacot also finished third in the NCAA in rebounding, corralling 13.1 rebounds per game. He’s a problem. A really, really big problem for opposing defenses. North Carolina fans hope the gifted big man can propel the ‘Heels to yet another epic NCAA Tournament run.

He and Love will be joined by R.J. Davis and Leaky Black. One very important piece will not be back and that’s Brady Manek–he was absolutely lethal from three-point range all season long last year for the ‘Heels, shooting 40.4 percent beyond-the-arc. He played for the Charlotte Hornets’ NBA Summer League team, but ultimately chose to sign a deal with the Perth Wildcats of Australia’s NBL.

North Carolina begins the regular season of their 2022-2023 campaign against the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks on November 7th.