### Why Armando Bacot Returned to UNC Basketball: A Retrospective on a Legacy-Defining Decision
Armando Bacot’s decision to return to the University of North Carolina for not one, but two additional seasons after his breakout junior year stands as one of the most impactful choices in recent college basketball history. The 6-foot-11 big man from Richmond, Virginia, could have entered the NBA Draft in 2022 following a Cinderella run to the national championship game. Instead, he opted to “run it back” with the Tar Heels, and then again for a fifth year in 2023-24, leveraging the COVID-19 eligibility waiver. Looking back from 2025, as Bacot now plays professionally for Fenerbahçe Beko in Turkey after a stint in the G League, his returns were driven by a mix of unfinished business, financial opportunities through Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals, love for the program, and realistic assessments of his NBA prospects. These choices cemented him as UNC’s all-time rebounding king and a program legend, while providing valuable lessons on the evolving landscape of college athletics.
Bacot’s journey at UNC began in 2019 as a highly touted five-star recruit. He arrived alongside talents like Cole Anthony but endured a rocky freshman year on a Tar Heels team that struggled under legendary coach Roy Williams. Averaging 9.6 points and 8.3 rebounds, Bacot showed flashes but was part of a squad that missed the NCAA Tournament. His sophomore season improved to 12.3 points and 7.8 rebounds, earning third-team All-ACC honors. By his junior year in 2021-22, under first-time head coach Hubert Davis, Bacot exploded. He averaged 16.3 points and a nation-leading 13.1 rebounds, posting 31 double-doubles — an ACC single-season record tied with Tim Duncan. His dominance peaked in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, where UNC, as an 8-seed, upset Duke in Coach K’s final game and stormed to the title game against Kansas.
In that tournament, Bacot became the first player ever with double-doubles in all six games, including a heroic performance in the championship loss while playing on a severely sprained ankle: 15 points and 15 rebounds. He grabbed 99 rebounds across the tournament, second-most in history. As the Final Four concluded, Bacot’s draft stock soared. Many projected him as a late first-round or early second-round pick. Yet, on April 13, 2022, he announced his return in a dramatic video, nodding to Michael Jordan with the phrase “Tar Heel forever” before declaring, “My Carolina story isn’t finished just yet.”
Why stay? Bacot cited multiple reasons, chief among them unfinished business and the chance to win a national championship. “Let’s go try and win a championship,” he told teammates like Caleb Love and Leaky Black, actively recruiting them to return. The “Iron Five” core — Bacot, Love, R.J. Davis, Brady Manek (who left), and Black — had gelled late, upsetting expectations. Returning felt like redemption after early struggles. But NIL played a massive role, a new factor post-2021 rules. Bacot called it a “no-brainer.” Without NIL, his mother Christie Lomax said she would have pushed him pro. With it, Bacot earned over $500,000 in deals, far surpassing potential G League or overseas rookie pay. “He was ready physically and mentally,” Lomax noted, but staying allowed him to profit while finishing his degree in the prestigious Kenan-Flagler Business School.
NBA feedback also influenced him. Scouts loved his rebounding and defense — skills that “100% translate” — but questioned his mobility in a positionless modern game. Bacot wasn’t guaranteed a first-round slot with its lucrative contract. Staying boosted his marketability at a blue-blood program. As he later reflected, many players leave too early, bounce to the G League, and fade. “I want to go when it feels right and I’m my best self.”
The 2022-23 season tested that decision. Preseason No. 1 UNC shockingly missed the NCAA Tournament — the first such team since the field expanded in 1985 — finishing 20-13. Bacot still shone: 15.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, earning first-team All-ACC again. Injuries nagged him, and the team underperformed amid perimeter struggles. Critics mocked the “run it back” mantra. Yet Bacot remained outspoken: “We came back for a reason, and this isn’t it. I love this university too much to quit.”
In March 2023, days after the tournament snub, Bacot announced his fifth-year return. “I’m using my last year of eligibility. I felt it was the right decision for my future.” Draft projections were grim — likely undrafted or two-way contract. NIL remained lucrative, and he wanted to prove critics wrong, lead under Davis, and chase records. “Redemption” became his mantra.
The payoff was immense. In 2023-24, with transfers like Harrison Ingram and a focused R.J. Davis, UNC won the ACC regular season and earned a No. 1 seed. Bacot averaged 14.5 points and 10.3 rebounds, surpassing Tyler Hansbrough as UNC’s all-time rebounder (1,731) and Billy Cunningham for double-doubles (87). He played a program-record 171 games, earning third-team All-America honors again. The Tar Heels reached the Sweet 16, falling to Alabama. On senior night against Notre Dame, an emotional Bacot teared up: “It’s just crazy… how far I’ve come. I’m just so thankful to get this extra year.” He wanted his jersey honored in the rafters and to show his love for UNC.
Retrospectively, Bacot’s returns were vindicated. He left as arguably the greatest rebounder in Tar Heel history — second in points (2,347), first in rebounds and double-doubles, with records that may stand forever. The 2022-23 miss stung, but the fifth year restored joy and legacy. “There are sunny days and rainy days,” as Coach Davis says; Bacot weathered both.
Financially, NIL deals exceeded what an undrafted rookie might earn initially. Basketball-wise, extra development helped, though he went undrafted in 2024 anyway, signing with the Grizzlies, playing for their G League affiliate (Memphis Hustle), and later moving to Europe. In the G League, he dominated: career highs like 34 points and 25 rebounds (franchise record), earning Player of the Week honors. Now in Turkey, he’s expanding his game, even shooting 3s at a high clip — something he hid at UNC to dominate inside.
Bacot’s story exemplifies the NIL era: players can prioritize legacy, earnings, and growth over rushing pro. He recruited transfers, mentored younger bigs, and embodied Carolina loyalty. As he said post-career, staying showed “how much I loved being at UNC.” Rivals mocked him for returning when draft-less, but who’s laughing now? Bacot built an unbreakable bond with Chapel Hill, shattered records, and exited as a Tar Heel immortal. His decisions weren’t just smart — they were transformative.
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