On Thursday afternoon, a day in the Bahamas got even better for Roy Williams and the North Carolina men’s basketball team.
Armando Bacot, a five-star center for the class of 2019, announced his verbal commitment to the Tar Heels via Twitter while Williams was likely soaking up some sun before exhibition games on Friday and Saturday.
Bacot is the No. 21 player on ESPN’s top 100 recruits for 2019 and ranks as the No. 6 center in the nation. He is the program’s first five-star center since Tony Bradley in 2016.
UNC beat out four other schools — Duke, Georgia, VCU and Oklahoma State — approximately three weeks after Bacot narrowed his list down to five programs.
The move comes on the heels of a successful summer for the 6-foot-10, 240-pound player who hails from Richmond, V.A.
In June, Bacot played on the USA U18 team that brought home gold in the 2018 FIBA Americas Men’s U18 Championship. The rising senior played alongside incoming first-year point guard Coby White and averaged 7.8 points and five rebounds in six contests. Bacot contributed 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting and four blocks in USA’s 113-74 gold medal game victory over Canada.
In July, he was named the 2018 Peach Jam MVP after leading his AAU squad, Team Takeover, to a 23-1 record in the Nike EYBL (Elite Youth Basketball). The team’s run culminated in the Peach Jam tournament crown and its star player, Barcot, averaged 11.6 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists along the way.
Bacot joins four-star point guard Jeremiah Francis in 2019 to help solidify a front court that will likely also feature Garrison Brooks and Sterling Manley.
