NCAA Basketball: 10 “can’t-miss” players to watch for in 2019-20
By Cody Larson
Cole Anthony
You cannot have a list of can’t-miss players without the inclusion of Cole Anthony. The 4th ranked freshman point guard out of North Carolina brings the same kind of swagger and confidence that the likes of Trae Young and Lonzo Ball did before him. He views himself as a superstar and it shows.
That may be because of his genetic pedigree, as it is well known that Cole is the son of former NBA player Greg Anthony. Or perhaps it is more-so how Cole describes, that his DNA shares no relation to the way he carries himself.
"“I think I have become my own player at this point,” he said. “I hear more, ‘That is Cole Anthony’s dad,’ than, ‘That’s Greg Anthony’s son.’ I don’t feel the pressure that much.”"
There’s a lot of truth in the above statement from Cole. He certainly is a unique player when lined up next to his father. As Greg was more in the mold of an old-school, game-controlling point guard; Cole is better described as a modernized, explosive floor general who can score at all three levels.
The 6-foot-3, 185-pound guard is as quick as he is intelligent. He’s great at sneaking past defenders on the drive and even greater at making the right pass. His ability to consistently score at all 3 levels makes him a nightmare to guard in the pick-and-roll, and he wouldn’t be one of the most “can’t-miss” players if he wasn’t able to slam it home for the highlight reels (again, at 6-foot-3, seriously).
Cole is going to have free-reign in North Carolina’s system next year. The stats he should put up should be crazy, but the action itself could be even crazier. There might not be a player in college who oozes of more star power; do yourself a favor and do not miss that star power be on full display this season.