UNC Basketball: Is Cole Anthony leaning toward the Tar Heels?

Is one of 2019’s top prospects leaning toward North Carolina?

The North Carolina Tar Heels missed out on one of the top prospects in the class of 2019 on Thursday when five-star small forward Josh Green committed to Arizona.

The Tar Heels seemingly had the upper hand in Green’s recruitment, and in some circles, were considered the favorite to land the talented wing. That changed in the days leading up to his announcement when all of the buzz surrounding Green suggested that an Arizona commitment was imminent.

All is not lost for Roy Williams and the Tar Heels, though.

According to predictions from recruiting experts on 247Sports — namely Director of Basketball Scouting, Jerry Meyer — the Tar Heels are now the favorite to land five-star combo guard Cole Anthony.

Meyer, along with recruiting experts from Duke and Kentucky, have all cast their votes in the past week. Each one of them chose North Carolina as Anthony’s most likely landing spot. Past predictions for Duke are still included in the odds, but North Carolina is now a 66 percent favorite to snag the talented guard.

The No. 3 prospect in the class of 2019 according to the 247Sports Composite, Anthony has been lauded as one of the most talented players in his class. Some have even gone as far as tabbing him the top prospect in the class. He also represents one of the rare cases in which a basketball prodigy is widely considered to turn out better than his father.

A 6-foot-3, 184-pound combo guard out of New York City, Anthony is the son of former 12-year NBA veteran Greg Anthony. His outstanding play over the past season skyrocketed his stock throughout the amateur basketball community, reflected by his rise to the top of many recruiting outlet’s rankings.

There’s no indication at this point when Anthony will announce his decision, but a commitment from him would be a boost to the Tar Heels’ 2019 class, and a surefire way to forget about the loss of Green this week.

For more on the Cole Anthony recruitment, check back with Keeping It Heel.