“You get to do it for a fifth year… Don’t ask how it is possible, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
The North Carolina men's basketball team recorded an incredible season under first-year head coach Hubert Davis, despite losing to Kansas in the national championship game.
The Tar Heels look primed to make another run at a title after forward Leaky Black announced Friday that he is returning for his fifth year and an opportunity to win a championship at North Carolina, a program that has become part of his family.
Instead of dashing to the NBA ranks, the forward delivered the announcement of his return in video that outlines his goals and aspirations in a letter to his freshman self at UNC. “In the fall of 2018, you had no idea of what you were getting yourself into. These next four years, you would struggle,” Black said. “… Being a Tar Heel will provide you with some of the best moments of your life.
“It will be an amazing four years and here’s the even better part. You get to do it for a fifth year. That’s right, you’re gonna decide that you are going to be a Tar Heel again for the 2022–2023 season. Don’t ask how it is possible, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
Black’s announcement comes two days after Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot released dramatic video and Michael Jordan-style statement that he is also returning for another season at North Carolina.
Black and the Tar Heels will seek their redemption tour in the 2022 season. And Black plans to enjoy "every minute" of his final ride in a Carolina blue and white uniform.
“Don’t take one moment of this experience for granted. Don’t take one game that you put that North Carolina jersey for granted. Don’t take one second from running out of that Smith Center tunnel with your teammates, North Carolina family, for granted,” Black wrote in the letter.
Black averaged 4.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists while shooting 46.6 percent from the field. He was an ACC All-Defensive team selection and a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player.
More CBB Coverage:
- Scheyer Gives Coach K a Four-Legged Friend for Retirement Gift
- Dick Vitale Completes Lymphoma Treatment
- Basketball: Dariq Whitehead is the SI All-American Player of the Year
- All Tar Heels: Armando Bacot to Return for Fourth Season
For more North Carolina coverage, go to All Tar Heels.