Cole Anthony, UNC Tar Heels freshman point guard, declares for NBA draft
North Carolina freshman point guard Cole Anthony is entering his name into the 2020 NBA draft, he announced on social media Friday.
He’ll follow in the footsteps of his father, Greg Anthony, a 12-year NBA veteran, who was drafted No. 12 overall in the 1991 NBA draft. The younger Anthony is also a projected lottery pick. According to NBAdraft.net’s mock draft, he is expected to go No. 6 overall.
Anthony is the third UNC player in the last two years to enter the NBA draft after only one season.
Though his father told the N&O in an interview about two-thirds through the season, that it was no forgone conclusion that he was leaving after one year, Anthony’s decision to forgo the rest of his college eligibility was always the expectation.
Williams and his staff have recruited two players to replace Anthony’s production. Caleb Love, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard, and R.J. Davis, a 5-11, 164-pound guard — both McDonald’s All-Americans — are expected to be immediate contributors next year.
When asked in February about possibly leaving after one year, the elder Anthony said his son was at UNC to learn and grow, and they would make a decision after the year.
“As difficult as this year has been, and as at times frustrating, because of the losses, and the way we lost some games, if we had to go through this experience, we wouldn’t want to go through it anywhere else other than being here,” Greg Anthony said then.
“For us, this is a chapter in his life in his journey and it’s about him growing and learning and that’s what’s most important.”
Anthony, 6-3, 190 pounds, led the Tar Heels last season with 18.5 points and 4 assists per game. His brief college career got off to a hot start. He scored 34 points in UNC’s season-opening win against Notre Dame. The Tar Heels started the season 6-3.
But injuries, and the team’s lack of on-court chemistry, led to the Tar Heels’ struggles.
Anthony missed 11 games in the middle of the season after having surgery to repair a partially torn meniscus. During that stretch, the Tar Heels went 4-7.
Their style of play changed dramatically after. Anthony was the primary ball handler, and without him, the Tar Heels had to spread the ball around more. When he returned Feb. 1 after missing those 11 games, UNC’s new style of play clashed with the old one. The Tar Heels lost seven consecutive ACC games and Anthony shot 38 percent from the floor.
“I still could’ve raised my play a lot more,” Anthony told the N.Y. Post in an interview. “I accept full responsibility for the year I had. It was probably one of my worst years of basketball.”
The Tar Heels finished the regular season winning three of their last four games and entered the ACC tournament as a 14-seed.
They finished 14-19 and lost in the second round of the ACC tournament to Syracuse.
“I truly enjoyed coaching Cole this year and it will be fun to watch him play in the NBA,” UNC coach Roy Williams said in a press release Friday. “It was unfortunate for Cole and our team that he missed those 11 games due to injury.
“He had some spectacular moments as a Tar Heel and showed the potential I feel will make him very successful in the NBA. He has our complete support going forward and I will be one of his biggest fans.”
Anthony is the first UNC player, and likely only UNC player, to declare for the NBA draft. Junior forward Garrison Brooks and freshman forward Armando Bacot have already said they are returning to school.
Anthony initially delayed his announcement last month in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Anthony is from New York City, where the crisis has hit the hardest in the country. At the time, he said his biggest concern was figuring out how he could help.
This story was originally published April 17, 2020 at 1:15 PM.
