First-year point guard Cole Anthony, who averaged 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for North Carolina in 2019-20 and was a Third-Team All-ACC selection, has declared for the 2020 NBA Draft via Twitter.
"I truly enjoyed coaching Cole this year and it will be fun to watch him play in the NBA," UNC head coach Roy Williams said in a press release. "It was unfortunate for Cole and our team that he missed those 11 games due to injury. He had some spectacular moments as a Tar Heel and showed the potential I feel will make him very successful in the NBA. He has our complete support going forward and I will be one of his biggest fans. It was a pleasure to coach him, and getting to know his family was fantastic, as well. He loves the game of basketball as much as any player I've ever coached and he will continue striving to be the absolute best player he can be. He will always be a Tar Heel."
Anthony, a likely lottery pick, according to Bleacher Report, was plagued by injury and inconsistency in his lone year in Chapel Hill, but the first-year phenom showed enough talent to garner the attention of NBA scouts when he played to his potential.
Anthony captivated Tar Heel fans from the start of the season when he scored a season-high 34 points in a 76-65 win over Notre Dame in the Smith Center to open the year. From then on, the son of former NBA player Greg Anthony led UNC in points per game and assists and finished third on the team in rebounds per game.
The New York native had previously announced on social media on March 24 that he and his family knew plenty of people that had been severely affected by COVID-19, so he was taking time to focus on how he could help those in his home state before he announced his decision about whether or not to return to UNC for his sophomore season.
With Anthony's departure, the Tar Heels will be returning guards Anthony Harris, Leaky Black, Andrew Platek, Jeremiah Francis and K.J. Smith in addition to the arrival of five-star Caleb Love and four-star R.J. Davis at the guard position.
