UNC Recruiting: UNC to visit 2019 prospect Cole Anthony on Tuesday

Five-star point guard Cole Anthony has had a recruitment period shrouded in a lot of mystery. He has very much made sure that it stays that way by not only refusing to say too much about any of the schools that he is interested in, but by doubling down and saying that any predictions that are out there are completely inaccurate. This means that everyone in the recruiting world is pretty much in the dark, but what we do finally know at least is a handful of schools that are actively on his trail to kick off September.

Yesterday afternoon, New York Times’ Adam Zagoria tweeted that Roy Williams and Hubert Davis will be paying a visit to Cole Anthony next Tuesday.

This news is coming off of what was a busy news month for Roy Williams. UNC managed to lock down five-star big man Armando Bacot, but then lost a prospect in Tre Mann to Florida shortly thereafter. There have also been a few official visits scheduled by Wendell Moore, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Vernon Carey Jr., and Keion Brooks, and so it makes a lot of sense that Roy wanted to fit some face time in with Anthony as well.

With Tre Mann’s commitment to Florida, there should be a lot more attention focused on Cole Anthony as far as the point guard position is concerned. While UNC has already received a commitment from Jeremiah Francis, there’s a bit of uncertainty surrounding him considering that he will be missing his second consecutive season. Francis’ injuries coupled with Coby White’s ceiling of being a OAD player may leave a bit of a void in the backcourt that Roy Williams will need to fill if he wants to remain competitive in the 2019-2020 season.

Eric Bossi with Rivals published a piece yesterday about each ACC team’s biggest need in the 2019, and he echoed similar sentiments when discussing what could arguably be Roy Williams’ biggest priority now that he has locked down Bacot:

“Roy Williams spent all spring and summer tracking 2019’s highest-ranked point guard, Cole Anthony, and he would be needed whether White stays or goes. Anthony is a prolific scorer, plays fast and the Heels made his first “cut” down to 12. The only danger with Anthony is that he’s likely to take his time and the Heels can’t afford to totally whiff on guards.”

“The Heels can’t afford to totally whiff on guards” is a most truthful, yet terrifying statement. In a doomsday situation where Coby White enters the NBA Draft, Rechon “Leaky” Black is unable to play point guard the way Roy would need him too, and Jeremiah Francis is not showing signs of improvement health-wise, missing out on Anthony would be a huge blow to the program. On another hand, with all things reversed Anthony could be seen as more of a luxury, especially considering that the Heels have never had a one and done point guard. We won’t know what the truth is until next summer, and so Tar Heel Nation will have to hold their breath and hope that everything falls into place for Roy and his staff.