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NCAA Basketball Recruiting: Pros and cons of each landing spot for Cole Anthony

By Jason Kinander

ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 27: Cole Anthony #50 of Oak Hill Academy in Virginia drives to the basket during the 2019 McDonald's High School Boys All-American Game on March 27, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - MARCH 27: Cole Anthony #50 of Oak Hill Academy in Virginia drives to the basket during the 2019 McDonald's High School Boys All-American Game on March 27, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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SOUTH BEND, IN – NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is seen after the game Chicago State Cougars at Purcell Pavilion on November 8, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN – NOVEMBER 08: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is seen after the game Chicago State Cougars at Purcell Pavilion on November 8, 2018 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Pros

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the most surprising team remaining in Anthony’s final four, as the Irish are coming off a very disappointing season that saw them finish in dead last in the ACC.

However, the Irish find themselves right in the thick of Anthony’s recruiting and are close to landing their top recruit in school history.

At Notre Dame, Anthony would be able to step right into the role that he is most comfortable in, and that is as the primary ball-handler, passer, and shot-taker.

The Irish would run the offense through Anthony, whereas on a more balanced team, the offense would run with Anthony.

Finally, Anthony would be playing in the ACC, arguably the most competitive conference in all of college hoops. Anthony would be playing in nationally televised games frequently, and would have the opportunity to showcase his talent against some of the best teams in the country.

Cons

Remember what I said about the Irish being such a surprising team in Anthony’s final four? Want to know why that is? Because Notre Dame basketball was a joke last season.

The Irish did nothing to stay competitive, falling completely off the map after losing just three starters. Sure, Notre Dame was not expected to be good, but it’s not like they were short on players. This Irish team could have easily done better than last place, but they didn’t.

For that very reason, Notre Dame is not a great option for Anthony. If Anthony wants the most out of his presumed one year in college, he’ll want a shot at a National Championship. Absolutely no chance he gets that at Notre Dame. At best, the Irish will be an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament with the addition of Anthony. I find it hard to believe that they’ll be much better.

As for Anthony’s NBA future, Notre Dame isn’t exactly a hotbed for NBA talent. The last lottery pick to come out of South Bend was Troy Murphy in 2001.

Simply put, heading to Notre Dame would be a huge gamble for Anthony. Maybe it pays off, as he would be able to put up huge numbers. However, the chance that he wouldn’t be playing meaningful basketball in March is way too big of a risk.

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