UNC Basketball: Roy Williams visited this 5-star prospect on Sunday
Roy Williams watches nation’s top point guard on Sunday
North Carolina head coach Roy Williams was in West Chester, Pennsylvania on Sunday to observe one of the nation’s top prospects in five-star point guard Cole Anthony.
Anthony and his team, the PSA Cardinals, were at the Westtown School to participate in a 65-player combine with the NY Jayhawks. It marks the second consecutive year that the two teams, the former sponsored by Nike and the latter by Adidas, have gotten together for the event, which draws representatives from more than 50 Division I schools.
Williams was joined in attendance by a number of big name coaches including Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing, Louisville’s Chris Mack, Michigan’s John Beilein, Notre Dame’s Mike Brey and Oregon’s Dana Altman. Adam Zagoria reported that assistants from Maryland and Villanova were also on hand to watch the talented 2019 prospect.
Anthony’s outstanding play in recent months has skyrocketed his stock throughout the amateur basketball community, resulting in his rise to the top of many recruiting boards and mock drafts. He’s a consensus top-3 prospect, and ranked as high as first on some lists. He’s the top guard in his class, and the No. 1 player in the state of New York.
He’s been credited as one of the most athletic players in the class, and has a competitive edge that is rivaled by few. He’s a talented offensive player, a terrific rebounder – particularly for his position – and a gifted passer. There’s not a spot on the court that you have to hide his weaknesses, because he really doesn’t have any.
The 6-foot-3, 180-pound Anthony is the son of former 12-year NBA veteran Greg Anthony, and a virtual shoe-in to be a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. The five-star guard has kept quiet about his recruitment to this point, not dropping so much as a hint to where he might attend college next year.
"“I don’t know how people are going to tell me where they think I’m going before I even have an idea where I’m going,” Anthony told the New York Post earlier this month. “That’s what I find hilarious.”"
Despite the widespread speculation that Anthony is headed for Duke next year, he’s continued to shoot down the notion and remain mum about his thoughts on the teams recruiting him. He’s stated that there is no front-runner in his recruitment, and that he’ll be patient throughout his decision-making process.
"“Me and my dad will probably start to lock in that after the summer’s over, probably mid-August,” Anthony told Zagoria. “I’ll be staying with him for a little while in Florida. We’ll probably sit down and really start to talk about it then.”"
He also mentioned that he would enjoy playing with Matthew Hurt and Armando Bacot, among others, at the collegiate level. All three players share a common thread in that North Carolina is recruiting each of them very hard. Just snagging one of the five-star prospects would be great for the Tar Heels, but a chance at all three is terrific.
Next: UNC recruiting class of 2020's top player
We’ll expect Anthony to begin making college visits and cutting down his list in the coming months, and Keeping It Heel will have more on his recruitment as it develops.