UNC Basketball: Five Bold Predictions For 2019-20
By Alec Lasley
1. Cole Anthony commits and then wins ACC Rookie of the Year
The son of former UNLV great and NBA player Greg Anthony, Cole is one of the most talented prospects in the country.
As of now, he is a consensus top-five recruit, ranked as high as No. 2 on ESPN and No. 4 in 247Sports Composite rankings, and is a game changer for the Heels in 2019-20.
Losing Coby White to the NBA this year, they are in desperate need in the backcourt and point guard position.
Currently, 247’s Crystal Ball has the Heels leading with a 90 percent chance of landing Anthony, and almost all recruiting experts predict he will be in Carolina Blue next year.
Last year, 247Sports director of scouting Jerry Meyer said Anthony could be the best point guard he’s scouted.
"“His basketball IQ and his awareness on the court are just top of the line,” Meyer said. “I’m not saying Derrick Rose and John Wall, two of the best I’ve watched personally prior to now, didn’t have that. But he has a very good basketball IQ, he’s so polished and so well rounded and he can shoot the ball."
He went on to say ‘”whichever team does land Anthony will land a player ‘better at the same stage’ than Rose or Wall.”
At 6-foot-3, he has decent size for a point guard, but what makes him a great fit for the Heels is his speed and quickness in the open floor. Stepping in for White, the Heels wouldn’t lose much of a beat from the point guard role.
With an ability to score all over the floor, Anthony is also a much better passer and playmaker than White was/is at this stage.
Averaging 19.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists during last week’s Geico National’s Tournament, Anthony will enter as one of the best players in the entire country.
Look for him to come to Chapel Hill and average close to 16 points and 7 assists a game while winning ACC Rookie of the Year honors.