“I grew up a Duke fan. I loved Jahlil Okafor, Jabari Parker… I hated Carolina.”
If it wasn’t for the headline, you would NEVER have guessed who that above quote belonged to.
Yes, that quote was from now former UNC basketball star Armando Bacot, a player who has etched his name into the Tar Heel record books.
Armando Bacot grew up a Duke fan 🤯
“I grew up a Duke fan. I loved Jahlil Okafor, Jabari Parker…I hated Carolina.”
)🎥: @TidalLeague)
pic.twitter.com/1Ot4uzoQ3Q
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) July 2, 2024
Bacot made a special appearance on fellow former Tar Heel Theo Pinson’s podcast, Tidal League’s “Run Your Race,” as the two alumni discussed a variety of topics surrounding Bacot’s career at North Carolina. The group dove into the topic of Bacot’s recruitment, as the Richmond, Virginia native broke down how the two programs from Tobacco Road offered him scholarships within 10 minutes of each other.
Duke offered Bacot first, followed by an offer from Roy Williams and the Tar Heels. Although his early childhood fandom favored the Blue Devils, Bacot ultimately chose to play for the UNC basketball program, as the rest is simply history.
Based on his five years in Chapel Hill, you’d never know that Bacot was a Duke fan growing up. In fact, he admits that there are photos of him during his youth where he is seen wearing Blue Devils gear.
To make matters worse: Pinson went on to add that he also was a fan of Duke growing up!
I guess we all make mistakes, right?
The good news is that Bacot chose North Carolina and became a program legend. Although he hated North Carolina growing up, Bacot made up for it by ultimately growing to love the University as a whole, especially the UNC basketball program.
Make sure you check out the entire “Run Your Race” episode with Armando Bacot, which can be viewed below.
Source link : https://keepingitheel.com/posts/armando-bacot-i-grew-up-a-duke-fan-i-hated-north-carolina
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Publish date : 2024-07-02 15:44:26
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