Q&A: Five-star Armando Bacot busy recruiting for North Carolina

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Armando Bacot, the face of North Carolina’s 2019 class, has reworked his body, improved his skillset and shown a complete game this winter with the nationally acclaimed IMG Academy program. Following his team’s win at the Hoophall Classic, Bacot discussed where his primary focus lies, communication with his future coaching staff in Chapel Hill and his continued recruiting efforts with Cole Anthony and Keion Brooks.

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Corey Evans: How has your senior year been going for you?

Armando Bacot: It has been going great. Just the switch to IMG, I feel like I have been getting better, strength wise and definitely getting more athletic and losing a lot of weight. The schedule has been really preparing for my college, I think, too, because most of the stuff that we do is college prep, so it has definitely been going good.

CE: Throughout the process, what has the staff at North Carolina told you about what they want you working on and focusing on before you get there?

AB: I would say just keep expanding my game and shooting the ball, too, losing the weight, they want for me to come in and play all-around the floor, so a little bit of playing in the top and in the bottom of the high-low, and knocking down shots.

CE: Watching from afar, how do you feel like their season is going thus far?

AB: I feel like the team is good but we have some young bigs so they might be hurting a little bit in the post but the team is going to be good at the end of the year and we are going to come together.

CE: What do you think you can bring to the floor for those guys next year?

AB: I think that I can make a huge impact off of the rip and go and bring that old style of big play like they had with Ed Davis, Rasheed Wallace and John Henson, and those type of guys.

CE: Right now, it is you and Jeremiah Francis, so what else do you feel like UNC is missing in that class?

AB: Definitely a huge playmaking type of guy like Cole (Anthony), we need a guy like that, but also a three-four, like a Precious (Achiuwa) or Keion (Brooks), because those are the type of guys that could fill Luke Maye’s position and be able to play all over, along with Cam Johnson leaving.

CE: You have always been outgoing with your classmates so what is your recruiting pitch with Cole Anthony?

AB: With Cole, I talk to him every day. I try not to talk to him as much about recruiting because I know that the UNC fans are crazy so they are probably blowing his phone up so we just talk and every once in a while, I will bring up UNC. Coach (Roy) Williams and coach Hubert (Davis), me and Cole, we were in a group text before the game; we were just talking trash to each other, so that is the stuff that we do.

CE: Does he end up a Tar Heel?

AB: Definitely.

CE: Do you talk to Keion Brooks at all?

AB: A little bit. I know him a little bit and we have a relationship. With Keion, I know Indiana is big in his recruitment, Michigan State and the other schools, so if we want to get him, we gotta come hard at him.