Fresh from North Carolina, point guard Cole Anthony will be entering the NBA draft. Announcing his decision on Friday, Anthony initially delayed any of his draft announcements as he previously prioritized on finding ways to help those who are in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The North Carolina freshman has been considered a one-and-done player and prospected as a high first-round draft even before his arrival in Chapel Hill area. Despite the uncertainty brought by the coronavirus outbreak, Anthony shared in his Friday's statement that no one truly knows what the next few months will look like but he is ready for whatever God has in store for him, MSN reports.
Son of former UNLV and NBA player Greg Anthony, the 6-foot-3 point guard averaged a team-high of 18.5 points, and setting an Atlantic Coast Conference record by a freshman in his debut against Notre Dame dropping 34 points, but despite the performance Tar Heels suffered the first losing season under coach Roy Williams' era Hall of Fame career.
Missing 11 games due to an anthroscopic knee surgery, Anthony's absence sparked some to question whether Anthony, along with the other draft prospects, should shut it down or return from injury but the 6-foot-3 guard remained adamant as he would return, then did for the final 13 games.
Though the Tar Heels had trouble at times in blending with Anthony's ball-dominant style and with an inside-first approach leading to a pair of wins immediately before his return, the North Carolina freshman was the only UNC player capable of reliably creating his own shot.
Coach Williams shared in a statement that Anthony had some spectacular moments in Tar Heel's uniform and showed the potential to be successful in the NBA so he had their full support going forward and that he will be one of his biggest fans.
Fate of the NBA Season
However, Cole's career in the NBA may come later rather than sooner, not because of his draft chances, but because of the coronavirus crisis.
At the moment, the NBA season remains in pause and each day that goes by that the US is unable to contain the COVID-19 crisis the dimmer the chances of the season resuming are.
Last Friday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver talked to reporters via conference call and said that at the moment, he is not in the position to make decisions regarding the season's resumption. He also said that it remains unclear when they will be able to be back on track, and whether the season will be officially cancelled or will resume once the outbreak subsides.
According to Sports Illustrated, Silver said that in order for the league to move forward, they need to meet a criteria which includes the decrease in number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and that testing needs to be available. He also added that aside from testing, in order for them to be confident enough to resume the season, there should already be a path for antivirals or vaccines.
In the past week, resumption of sporting events have been talked about after U.S President Donald Trump expressed his longing for sports on TV and said that he was tired of watching replays of old games.
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