North Carolina Basketball: 5-star prospect Armando Bacot picks the Tar Heels

Armando Bacot was a top target for North Carolina Basketball for the 2019 class. He joins what would be a stacked future frontcourt for the Tar Heels.

Roy Williams of North Carolina Basketball has developed a great reputation over the years in maximizing the potential out of the big men that have come through the program. Rising senior Luke Maye is just the latest example, going from a preferred walk-on to national champion and Player of the Year candidate for next season.

That reputation will get the attention of many top prospects, particularly those on the frontcourt. Nassir Little, a top-3 recruit in the 2018 class will be suiting up for the team, likely for just one season before he goes off to the NBA. And with Maye graduating, the Tar Heels need some reinforcements to continue competing with Duke for both ACC and national titles.

Enter Armando Bacot, a 6’10 and 235-pound center who hails out of Richmond, Virginia. He’s a gold medal winner on the USA U-18 team and a standout on the recent AAU Circuit this summer. He has imposing size and strength and already is considered a versatile athlete who can run the floor and play both ways.

There may be big men with higher ceilings in the 2019 class but Bacot has a good chance to perform better than them as freshmen with a ready-made game that will allow him to curb the usual rookie stumbles.

With Bacot officially joining the fold, he’ll join Garrison Brooks, Sterling Manley, and Brandon Huffman who would all be juniors at that point. Each of those three had their struggles as freshmen this past season but expect big jumps from at least one of them with Coach Williams around. If that happens and no one leaves North Carolina would have an argument of having the best frontcourt in the country for the 2019-20 season.

This also allows the program to focus almost exclusively on the perimeter to fill out the rest of the scholarships. Kenny Williams is a senior for this upcoming year and top-30 class of 2018 guard Coby White may only be around for next season himself, leaving some perimeter depth missing on the roster by the time Bacot arrives. With the frontcourt taken care of, the coaching staff can alleviate those concerns in no time.

Bacot will join fellow class of 2019 commit Jeremiah Francis, a four-star point guard out of Pickerington, Ohio. Who else will join the Tar Heels in what could be a star-studded future recruitment class? Keep tuning in to Busting Brackets as we’ll continue covering UNC Basketball – both on and off the court.