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Armando Bacot just wrapped up his UNC career, finishing as one of the most impactful players on the team during his five years on campus. The forward played 169 games in Chapel Hill, making 168 starts while averaging a double-double in each of his final three seasons.
This week, he reflected on that Tar Heel tenure, commenting on things like NIL, his hatred for instate schools, and his plan for the future.
Bacot broke things down in the Run Your Race podcast with Theo Pinson and AJ Richardson.
The big man touched on a plethora of topics while reflecting on his time at UNC – the most shocking being the amount of money made at the college level.
“$2 million plus,” he casually estimated. “But I’m saying that humbly. It speaks on the brand of Carolina, because if I didn’t go to Carolina, these deals with Turbo Tax, all those people, they wouldn’t do it with me… If you go to Carolina, and you handle business, somewhat be marketable and stuff like that, it pays.
“I got life-changing money – in college – just off playing basketball.”
While he showed love for the Heels in that recruiting pitch of sorts, he also revealed that he grew up a Duke fan. That might explain why he seems to holster more hatred for rival NC State than for the Blue Devils.
Putting that childhood affiliation aside, Bacot committed to play in Chapel Hill before joining the roster in 2019. He says it didn’t take long for his “Welcome to Carolina” moment.
Tyler Hansbrough put Armando Bacot in the hospital.
“I was playing against T-Hans, and obviously I knew T-Hans was a great player, but I didn’t know he was that physical,” he recalled. “I went and blocked his shot, then like the next play, he just went through me.
“I had to go to the hospital, stitches, all that. He didn’t say sorry or nothing. He just kept going. I probably said a little something [after I blocked his shot], not knowing who I was fooling with.
“Honestly, after that, every time I played against T-Hans, I’d give him his space… I ain’t fooling with that.”
A trip to the ER will certainly make you see the difference between high school and college, though it’s not the warmest of welcomes. Keep in mind, Hansbrough was in his mid-30s at this time.
Hansbrough, who played at UNC a decade before Armando Bacot’s arrival, is one of the most revered players in program history. As a senior, he averaged 20.7 points per night to lead his team to a national title.
Bacot, meanwhile, never got a ring, but he did help the Tar Heels reach a championship contest in 2022 where they fell to Kansas by three points.
The forward went undrafted this summer but signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Utah Jazz soon after. After reflecting on the past, his attention soon turns to that professional future.