UNC Basketball: Breaking down Tar Heels 2019 recruiting class

Cole Anthony — Mouth of Wilson, VA

PG | 6-foot-3 | 185 lbs | No. 4 overall 

When you think of the prototypical star point guard in the NBA, you picture someone with electric pull-up scoring, dynamic downhill driving, a shifty and deceptive dribble, functional athleticism in terms of speed, strength, agility, and verticality, and someone capable of creating plays for himself and others.

Sound familiar?

That is, by and large, a succinct description of who Cole Anthony is as a player — flashy and dynamic as all hell, with dunk-contest-level athleticism and a dazzling scoring package that makes him one of the more talented scoring guards to come out of the high school ranks in the past few years.

The son of former UNLV star and multi-year NBA veteran Greg Anthony, the 19-year-old Cole will look to follow in his father’s footsteps by leaving his mark on the college landscape this season — in what will unquestionably be his first and only taste of NCAA basketball as he is set to be one of the next one-and-done prospects to play under Roy Williams — before ultimately making the jump to the NBA.

Barring anything unforeseen, the Oak Hill standout should hear his name called within the first handful announced on draft night — and, if the season goes right, maybe even first overall.

But before he dons any NBA threads, he’ll first have to rock Carolina blue for 30-plus games. While at UNC, Cole Anthony will have a chance to cement himself as one of the best guards to ever play under Roy Williams, a high honor considering the NBA guard talent that the Hall of Fame coach has churned out over the past decade-plus while in Chapel Hill.

How well the Heels play and how far they advance in next March’s NCAA Tournament will be solely based on how far Anthony is able to take them.

And, given how talented he is, that could be pretty daggum far.