UNC Basketball: Could Armando Bacot be a one-and-done player?

Recruiting analyst talks about UNC basketball freshman Armando Bacot, and whether or not the 5-star center could make the jump to the NBA after just one college season

After losing four starters, as well as the team’s top five scorers from a season ago, the North Carolina Tar Heels anxiously await the arrival of their highly anticipated 2019 recruiting class that includes three top-70 recruits.

Headlined by the No. 3 overall prospect in the class, Cole Anthony, and fellow 5-star freshman Armando Bacot, the Tar Heels hope next season is more reload and less rebuild. Along with the aforementioned, Roy Williams and company welcome in 4-star guard and former Virginia Tech commit, Anthony Harris, who decided to reopen his recruitment after former Hokies head coach Buzz Williams left for the same position at Texas A&M.

Also in the mix for the Tar Heels next season is 3-star point guard Jeremiah Francis, who has spent much of the past two seasons injured, but hopes to recover and flourish over the next few years in Chapel Hill. Another big addition to the 2019-20 Tar Heels is Charleston Southern graduate transfer Christian Keeling, who announced his intent to join North Carolina this year for his final season of college eligibility.

Francis projects as a four-year college player, and Keeling has no choice but to ride off into the sunset after the final buzzer sounds for the Tar Heels in the spring of 2020. Anthony, as good as he is, is not only a surefire one-and-done player, but a likely top-5 pick in next year’s NBA Draft as well.

Unlike the others, though, Bacot’s tenure at North Carolina is a bit more difficult to predict. That’s exactly what Rivals recruiting analyst Corey Evans touched on in a recent piece in which he talks about Bacot, his professional prospects, and how long he believes the talented big man will hang around the college ranks.

"“In today’s day and age, where everyone thinks that they are a one-and-done, you never really know,” Evans said. “Armando Bacot does have a tremendously translatable skill set to college and will be heavily relied [upon] next season at North Carolina. He could put up quality numbers as a freshman, which would correlate with early NBA interest. However, would Bacot want to test the shaky NBA waters immediately or return for another year and try to boost his stock? Knowing the prospect and his mindset, I would predict a two-and-done campaign for the skilled Bacot, which would give the Tar Heels an expanded window for success with holding down the fort down low.”"

Evans makes some good points, and I don’t disagree with his overall assessment of Bacot. While the 6-foot-10, 235-pound center will obviously get some early attention from NBA scouts and general managers — thanks, in part, to his size, but also for his considerable talent —  he has the feel of a player who will remain on campus for at least one additional season.

There was a time, however, that many of us (myself included) thought that Tony Bradley was a two or three-year college player. And at one point, I’d have put my money on Coby White being at UNC for two years, and it’s clear how that bet would’ve panned out.

So, it’s tough to say how things will unfold, but I’ll agree with Evans; Bacot will hang around North Carolina for a couple of years before living out his dream of playing in the NBA.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Armando Bacot, the Tar Heels’ 2019 recruiting class and everything North Carolina basketball.