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Mondo may get his shot at the NBA after all.

By now, many of us thought we’d be following Armando Bacot’s progress in some international league. Despite becoming UNC’s all-time leading rebounder, Bacot didn’t have much of a skill set with the ball on offense.

He was a beast in the paint, where he had good basketball instincts and a nose for the ball as it came off the rim. But aside from a little jump hook, his best move was getting his own miss or a teammate’s and putting it in. He had no apparent range of shooting beyond 10 or 12 feet.

Coming out of school as one of the most-celebrated college players who made outsized money on NIL deals, two NBA teams still cut him from the summer league and Memphis hooked him up with its G-League club.

He was putting up decent numbers with the Memphis Hustle from the start of the season but did not have the 7-foot size to make an impact on the court. Until the last few weeks, capped by a 34-25 game on Friday night.

AB played 36 minutes and shot 13-for-21, including one 3-pointer and 4 out of 5 free throws, for 34 points and clearly his high-scoring game in the NBA minors. But on the glass, he was a major leaguer with 10 offensive rebounds and 15 defensive boards, plus 2 assists and a steal.

More importantly, Bacot rallied his team from a 17-point deficit after three quarters to outscore Santa Cruz 40-18 in the fourth for a 115-109 victory. The double-double was obviously Mondo’s career game as a pro. A week or so back, he had another 30-point game but not like this one.

The NBA G League’s X account said Bacot “was unstoppable . . .He recorded a career-high in rebounds . . . Setting a franchise record.”

So what happened to Bacot?

At Carolina, his improvement from year to year was measured because his scoring ability hardly changed. He admitted between his fourth and fifth (COVID) season that he didn’t put in as much time at the gym because of the business he was generating through NIL. Yet he and R.J. Davis were the best 5-year players for the same school ever.

Even if he didn’t make it in pro ball here or in Europe, Bacot was already a savvied young businessman who used his extra season to start on a graduate degree at Kenan Flagler. He has also been rumored as a possible manager for UNC athletes who don’t have agents and need help landing NIL deals. Bacot could serve in that role, which UNC has always believed is the way NIL should be done.

Bacot’s options have likely widened. He is known as a great teammate who could help any NBA club off the bench and in the locker room. That alone, plus his new-found ability to play on the next level, might get him a lucrative two-way contract.

If that happens, we’d love to see him moving between the Charlotte Hornets and Greensboro Swarm.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Mike Stewart

Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.

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