North Carolina’s Perry Ellis? Armando Bacot Makes the Joke
Perry Ellis played five seasons for the Kansas Jayhawks, and it certainly felt like longer than that. Well, North Carolina forward Armando Bacot Jr. is about to take that same step with the Tar Heels, and he made a joke referencing Ellis with a picture of the former Jayhawks star in a quote tweet about his return.
The tweet came in response to The Stadium’s Jeff Goodman’s report that Bacot was indeed returning. Take a look.
“I’m using my last year of eligibility,” Bacot told The Stadium. “I felt it was the right decision for my future…The primary reason I am coming back is because I don’t want to leave North Carolina this way. But I also know I need to improve and feel like this is the best place to do that.”
Bacot and the Tar Heels finished this season without an NCAA Tournament berth after finishing as the national runner-ups in 2022. They declined a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) berth in the process, ending things with a 20-13 record and an 11-9 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
During this just completed, disappointing 2022-23 campaign, Bacot averaged a very modest 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds. In so doing, he earned Associated Press Third-Team All-American honors.
But it was still a frustrating season not only for him with respect to North Carolina’s lack of results as a team, but because of injuries he dealt with. Bacot turned both of his ankles, costing him to miss time, and he also suffered a shoulder injury.
He’ll heal up, however, and become a huge returnee for the 2023-24 version of the Tar Heels. A two-time First-Team All-ACC recipient, Bacot is the school’s record holder in both rebounding and double-doubles.
