Armando Bacot Teases Transfer To Northern Arizona After Star Hooper Gives Inside Look At Gorgeous $50M Facility

Northern Arizona basketball might be adding one of the best players in the country ahead of the 2023/24 season. Not really, but the Lumberjacks can dream.

North Carolina star Armando Bacot, who announced his return to the Tar Heels as a fifth-year senior earlier this offseason, joked that he wants to play in the Big Sky after getting a glimpse of NAU’s facilities. They’re nicer than what he has on the ‘Blue Blood’ level of college basketball in Chapel Hill, apparently.

Northern Arizona, a 28,000-student public research university in Flagstaff, finished its three-story, 72,000-square-foot facility back in 2022. It’s nestled into the hillside among the pine trees, with views of the famous Humphreys Peak, and cost just shy of $50 million.

Northern Arizona's facility is gorgeous.

Two lower levels are dedicated to the student-athlete’s daily routine. The academic lounge gives the student-athletes a place to congregate, study and meet with advisors. The team lounge allows teammates to relax and build comradely.

From there, the facility pretty expansive.

The weight room is spacious clean, and equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, and opens up to turf practice field. Just a few steps away is the training room, which features a rehab center and hydrotherapy, and the always-stocked nutrition station.

Other features include individualized team meeting rooms, a recruiting-specific area and full-sized hardwood basketball courts. The coolest feature, though, might be the cardio mezzanine. It is the largest altitude-controlled simulation room in the country that allows Lumberjacks to train at sea level, all of the way up to 12,000 feet.

Carson Towt, a rising fifth-year junior on the basketball team, recently provided a tour of the facility, which is what caught Bacot’s attention. He challenged anyone to name a better D-I athletics facility.

Here is a more expansive, in-depth look:

Considering that NAU is a mid-major program in the Big Sky Conference, it has the nicest facility on its level of competition by a large margin. The Lumberjacks’ facility is also nicer than that of a lot of high-major/P5 programs. It’s legit!

Northern Arizona basketball has won 20 games three times since 2000, but not since 2014/15. Perhaps this facility will help land players who can turn the corner, like Bacot?