As UNC struggles, uncertainty over Cole Anthony’s future intensifies
The plan, or at least the hope, was that North Carolina would get Cole Anthony back from knee surgery and go on enough of a hot streak with him that the NCAA basketball committee would overlook any stumbles without him.
There’s no hope left in that plan now. No matter how well the Tar Heels play if and when Anthony returns, the committee isn’t giving them a free pass for losses to Wofford. And Georgia Tech. And Pittsburgh. And Clemson. All at home. The only way Anthony can help North Carolina make the tournament now is with a hot streak in Greensboro. Notre Dame won four and the title the last time the ACC tournament was there. North Carolina might need to win five.
The pundits have been assessing the odds of Anthony’s return since he showed up at Carmichael Arena in street clothes for the Wofford game, wondering if it’s even worth it for the presumed top-three pick to come back. Two-thirds of the way through the scheduled recovery period for his knee surgery, whether Anthony will return to the court for UNC and whether he should return are two very different questions.
As for the “will he,” only Anthony and his family know where their true goals lie. When Zion Williamson was injured a year ago, many outsiders expected or even encouraged him to sit out the rest of the season, but Williamson came to Duke to be part of a team -- and wasn’t even that excited about leaving after the season -- which made his return a foregone conclusion no matter his draft status.
There’s some of that here with Anthony: He could have gone anywhere, but he came to North Carolina to be a North Carolina point guard. He has never never left any doubt about that. Anthony sees himself as the next link in a chain that goes back all the way to Phil Ford, even if names like Raymond Felton, Ty Lawson and Coby White are more relevant to him
Williamson, at least, knew that he’d be returning to a national title contender. Even with a healthy Anthony, it’s hard to peg the Tar Heels.
That plays into the “should he” part of the equation. Even if it’s not quite the same scenario as when Anthony first stepped out, he still has the chance to come back and be the savior, the single individual factor that stands between the Tar Heels and success (and the Tar Heels and historic embarrassment). That wouldn’t hurt his draft stock, nor any human’s ego.
There’s also the matter of that draft stock, which couldn’t have been higher after the Notre Dame game but could certainly have experienced some slippage after that. Anthony was 13-for-29 from 3-point range in North Carolina’s first three games, 9-for-33 in the next six. His scoring totals took a similar drop as the quality of competition improved. There’s a lot of room for improvement there.
Anthony has been a determined cheerleader on the bench during this unprecedented swoon, but speculation over his future will only intensify as his prospective return approaches, especially as the balance between what he has to gain and what he has to lose shifts.
This much is certain: Anthony will have unfinished business in Chapel Hill, no matter what North Carolina’s prospects may be when he’s finally ready to play again.
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
