UNC Basketball: Roy Williams & Greg Anthony on Cole’s return from injury

Standout freshman point guard Cole Anthony is nearing a return to the court. Roy Williams and his father, Greg Anthony, talk about where he’s at in the recovery process, and what it’ll take for him to return to the UNC basketball lineup.

The North Carolina Tar Heels started the 2019-20 season with a 6-3 record after their first nine games. That was with star freshman Cole Anthony in the lineup. Without Anthony manning the point guard position, they lost seven of their next nine games, including a historic six consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference matchups.

Over the past couple of weeks, though, they’ve shown promise. They’ve even managed to roll off two straight wins that have Roy Williams, the team and fans hopeful for a second-half turnaround. That effort would be a lot easier with Anthony back in the fold. Media, scouts and fans, alike, continue to ask when he’ll be back, anxiously awaiting the second coming of a player expected to be selected in the top-5 of this year’s NBA Draft.

Williams has answered Cole Anthony health-related questions ad nauseam over the past month-and-a-half. Those questions become more frequent and intense as his imminent return approaches, given that the estimated four-to-six week recovery time frame has now come and gone.

"“I really don’t have anything,” Williams said on the David Glenn Show on Tuesday. “When the doctors tell me he can go out there and practice then I am going to practice him and we’ll practice one day, two days, eight days, however many it takes. When they tell me that he is ready to go. He is shooting now. He is not doing any contact work right now, whatsoever, and the only thing he is doing right now is running around and shooting. And I’ll watch him for a few minutes and he is making a lot of shots, but I have to wait until they tell me that he can go and then how long it will be after that before we can put him into a game depends on several things.”"

Anthony’s father, Greg, has been asked questions about the time frame as well. He’s answered those inquires, along with the ones about whether or not his son would return this season at all, or just prepare for June’s NBA Draft.

"“That would never be an option for him,” Anthony stated. “He wants to help his brothers; it’s killed him not being able to get out there and play with them. We’re hoping for the first week of February. People are gonna speculate and we can’t control that, but he’s absolutely gonna come back.”"

The first week of February begins on Saturday. That’s also the date of the Tar Heels’ next home game, a matchup with Boston College that marks the only meeting between the two ACC foes this season. Given that Anthony still isn’t fully participating at practice, I don’t expect to see him in a uniform this weekend. It seems much more reasonable to assume that Williams and company will ease him back into the lineup at Florida State on Monday, or against the Duke Blue Devils next Saturday.

We also have to assume that Anthony, his father and the Tar Heels are taking every precaution with the budding superstar’s injured right knee. A player with his skill set and potential has far too much on the line to risk coming back too soon, and sustaining another potentially more serious injury.

Stick with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on Cole Anthony, and everything UNC basketball.