Another starter will return for UNC. Leaky Black will play fifth season for Tar Heels
Rechon “Leaky” Black is coming back for a fifth season.
In a video he posted on Twitter, Black, the UNC forward from Cox Mill, announced that he will be returning to the Tar Heels for one more year.
He is the second UNC starter this week to announce they are returning next season. All-ACC forward Armando Bacot announced Wednesday he was coming back for a fourth year.
In the two-minute video, Black reads a letter to his freshman self.
“You’re going to decide that you’ll be a Tar Heel again for the 2022-23 season,” Black reads out loud. “Don’t take one moment of this experience for granted. Don’t take one game that you put that North Carolina jersey on for granted.”
In four years in Chapel Hill, Black has played in 122 games, starting 97. The versatile 6-foot-8 forward averaged 5 points per game in his previous four seasons. His best value to the team has been on the defensive end. Black was named to the ACC All-Defensive team and was a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Defensive Player of the Year Award.
“I can’t think of anybody better to coach and be around every day than Leaky,” Carolina head coach Hubert Davis said in a statement. “His passion for this program, this University, team and basketball is what drives him and what has driven him to come back for another season. He’s the best defensive player in the country. His commitment, leadership and personality are what keep this team so close. I’m looking forward to Leaky building on the unbelievable season he had this year, and I’m looking forward to him cementing his legacy on this program even more than he already has.”
He is just one of four UNC players in school history with 600 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, 100 steals and 50 blocks.
As the Tar Heels made a run to the national title game, Black shot a career best from the floor (46 percent) and foul line (86 percent).
With the return of Black and Bacot, Carolina fans are waiting on official announcements from guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis. If they both return, UNC would have four starters back for next season.
This story was originally published April 15, 2022 at 1:45 PM.
