Bacot earned first-team All-ACC honors after leading the nation with 31 double-doubles tying David Robinson for the NCAA single-season record. He also led the ACC in rebounding with 13.1 boards per game while leading the Tar Heels team in scoring (16.3 points) on 56.9 percent shooting from the field and total blocks (65).

During the March Madness tournament, Bacot became the first player to have six double-doubles during the NCAA Tournament. In the Final Four matchup against Duke, Bacot recorded his fifth 20-rebound game, snagging 21 to send the Tar Heels to the National Championship.

In a video captioned ‘Tar Heel forever,’ Bacot elaborated on why he decided to stay one more season being so close to winning the title.

“This year’s experience showed me that I don’t want to miss the chance to do it again,” Bacot said. “On the court, we got so close this year. I know there are no guarantees, but I want to have the opportunity to play in those big games to keep Carolina on that national stage. My Carolina story is not finished yet, and next season starts right now. My name is Armando Bacot, and I’m a Tar Heel.”

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Peep Episode 1 of IMG’s SLAM Day in the Life above!

RELATED: Josh Green Is Too Kind Mic’d Up | SLAM Practice

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We cover the best dunk celebrations, if short shorts are actually cool, their thoughts on AirPods, Game of Thrones, Wendy’s 4 for 4 and much more!

IMG Academy sports an impressive 27-1 record on the year.

Check out more YERRR or NAHHH videos below!

RELATED: Josh Green Goes For 32 points as IMG Wins By 30!

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IMG Academy won their City of Palms debut with EASE! @IMGABasketball @CityOfPalmsBKB

: https://t.co/DRLzhfnH3J pic.twitter.com/Kh5lHFC0fb

— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) December 18, 2018

The Answer even pulled up to watch IMG Academy hoop at the Battle of the Rock Tournament earlier this month.

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Noah Farrakhan is droppin' on and off the court

: https://t.co/QBPF5QwhbC pic.twitter.com/sYW8hDgp7M

— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) December 3, 2018

IMG Academy has the most stacked high school starting lineup in the nation. Need validation for that statement? Just watch this.

The post Allen Iverson Watches the IMG Show! 🍿Noah Farrakhan, Josh Green & More! appeared first on SLAM.

When it comes to high school starting lineups, IMG Academy may have the most stacked starting five in all of high school hoops. Don’t believe us? Peep the highlight video for yourself.

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5 big man Armando Bacot’s (@iget_buckets35) got the juice.

The Richmond-native is taking his talents to… pic.twitter.com/csxlvYKYvl

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) August 16, 2018

I’ll be attending…… pic.twitter.com/q19S3cUUVN

— Armando Bacot Jr. (@iget_buckets35) August 16, 2018

The Class of 2019 star, who is currently ranked No. 21 overall, will play this upcoming season at IMG Academy before going to UNC.

A 6-10, 230-pound center, Bacot led Team Takeover to the Peach Jam title last month, averaging 11 points and 12.8 rebounds per game.

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Jalen Lecque Is Representing New York City to the Fullest

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NBA big men like Karl-Anthony Towns, Thon Maker, Jahlil Okafor, Myles Turner, Mitch McGary and many more have all showed out at the Summer Jam during their respective high school days.

This past Wednesday and Thursday, Team Loaded VA’s David McCormack and Armando Bacot played like they’re determined to add their name to that list.

Team Loaded VA won all three of its showcase games, and the duo’s rebounding dominance and overall presence in the paint was a primary reason why.

McCormack (below), who attends national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy, is one of the most sought after centers in the Class of 2018 and it was easy to see why at the Summer Jam despite him not having any eye-popping scoring outputs. Due to the up and down nature of many club basketball games, sometimes those who bang in the post and rely on paint touches get lost in the shuffle for stretches.

“That goes for any big man. Unfortunately we can’t bring the ball up the court,” McCormack adds with a sly smile. “We depend on the guards to feed us the ball. At the same time, someone once told me that I could control how many points I get because guards won’t make every shot. So it depends on how hard I work on the offensive boards to get my own points. I took that to heart, and now I know I gotta stay on the glass and now it’s my bread and butter.”

Standing 6-10, McCormack moves really well for his big frame and his motor didn’t seem to shut off during his time in Milwaukee at the Summer Jam. And that is by design.

“Recently I dropped 40 pounds, but when I was 15 I started to pick up offers it hit me that if I actually worked hard at this I could go far,” McCormack said. “Once the offers started to pick up and I saw the development in my game, I knew if my work ethic met up with my determination then the sky is the limit.

“My motto is don’t get outworked, that’s just what I do. I don’t get outworked. I fight for every rebound, every loose ball and every basket. I do things some bigs don’t want to do as far as setting screens. I’ve just been trying to work on my touch around the rim with both hands, and my midrange.”

McCormack flashed some great moves and nice touch around the cup with both hands, as well as an ability to knock in shots from 10-to-15 feet out. Already an imposing presence defensively in the paint, he has noticed how the game in college and in the NBA has been evolving and is doing his best to adapt now that the days of sticking anyone over 6-10 in the around the blocks and telling them not to drift any further out are well behind us.

“I try to get my coaches to help me work on my lateral movement and my lateral flexibility so I can blitz ball screens or when I just need to hedge and get back. I’m trying to work on my foot speed and footwork,” McCormack says.

The combined package of size, skill, motor and basketball IQ has just about every program recruiting him heavily and he said after his final club hoops game at the end of July he will sit down with his family and begin to figure out where he will play hoops in college.

Bacot (Above), a 6-9 power forward from Trinity Episcopal School (VA), has even more time to sort through all the blue bloods recruiting him heavily. A consensus 5-star recruit, Bacot has watched his phone blow up this past spring when 12 high major offers rolled in and again throughout the summer.

“At the time it was so fun, but now with so many coaches contacting me sometimes it can be overwhelming but I’ve been trying to embrace it,” Bacot said. “I’m not making a decision any time soon. So now I’m just trying to figure out which schools I want to keep a relationship with.”

At the Summer Jam, much like McCormack, Bacot’s opportunities to show off his talent on offense around the hoop was limited compared to what it will look like during his high school season but also like his teammate he was able to make a gigantic impact on the game doing board work.

Bacot was happy enough to be a big part of the reason Team Loaded VA was unbeatable at the Summer Jam. Had he been concerned with just doing numbers, he would have stayed on the 16U level at the Adidas Gauntlet and the other tournaments Team Loaded VA is in.

“I knew if I played 16’s I would’ve dominated, so I just wanted the challenge of playing 17’s,” Bacot says. “Also, playing 17’s, I knew I’d play the four and be able to show more versatility against better competition and hopefully still excel.”

Also like McCormack, Bacot was quick to reply with an answer when asked what he was focused on improving the most to help take his game to even greater heights.

“I’d definitely say my lateral quickness so I could guard any position I can possible,” Bacot says.

As the game of basketball continues to evolve with players 6-10 or bigger being more skilled on the perimeter than they are in the paint, there will always be a need for bigs who can bring the noise on both ends in the paint. If McCormack and Bacot both continue on the trajectory they’ve been on, don’t be surprised if you see both of them donning an NBA jersey at some point in their careers.

(Photo Credit: Leon Threat / www.ThreatHoops.com, adidas) 

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