PROFILE: The Emergence of Cole Anthony
Our sports editor Will Lyons takes a look at the upward trajectory of basketball powerhouse Cole Anthony.
The son of former NBA player and UNLV legend Greg Anthony is quickly making a name for himself in NBA circles. Seeing Orlando Magic guard Cole Anthony take a major leap, has been one of the more noteworthy stories in the media and #NBATwitter.
High-School/AAU career
Cole starred at Archbishop Molloy High School in New York for the first three years of his high school career. He formed a dynamic duo with center Moses Brown (NBA by way of UCLA) forming one of the best teams in Molloy’s recent history.
Cole’s junior season and the summer leading into his senior year were truly special. Cole was named a Third Team All-American by USA Today and Max Preps. This is after taking the summer scene by storm and winning Most Valuable Player on the Nike EYBL circuit.
Anthony took his talents to Virginia to play for legendary coach Steve Smith at Oak Hill Academy. Accomplishments included ending his High School career as the Gatorade Player of the Year (VA), being a first team All-American (USA Today and Max Preps) and winning MVP of the three most notable high school all-star games (McDonald’s, Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit).
Short Stint at UNC
After a standout prep career, the top five recruit committed to play for Hall of Fame Coach Roy Williams at the University of North Carolina. Cole came out firing debuting with a 34 point, 11 rebound, 5 assist victory over Notre Dame. Thought to be a sign of things to come, the season did not turn out the way many had hoped. Anthony had to have surgery for a partially torn meniscus in his right knee, causing him to miss six weeks. UNC struggled mightily (14–19 record) while Cole was a third team All-ACC performer in his short stint in Chapel Hill.
Rookie Struggles
Cole’s surgery and UNC’s subpar season had a rough effect on his draft stock as he fell from top 5 player in his class fell to the 15th pick. The player once perceived as a franchise altering talent fell out of the lottery. He had an up and down rookie season but he posted decent numbers across the board 12.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 4.1 APG. When you take a deeper look, these numbers are more impressive as the Orlando Magic had former number one pick Markelle Fultz getting heavy minutes before going down with injury.
Sophomore Jump
Through eleven games Cole Anthony has elevated his game to places that casual fans probably did not even think were possible. He is averaging career highs across the board averaging 20.2 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 5.2 APG. Cole’s statistical jump is worthy of applause and I must mention that his 7.1 rebounds per game is incredibly impressive for a 6’3 guard. This continues to prove the type of worker and player that Cole is. A player who is capable of doing whatever his team needs to get a win and most importantly a leader who guys can rally around.
The Magic have a lot of talent on their roster at the guard spot (RJ Hampton and the currently injured Markelle Fultz) but it appears Cole has nothing to worry about as the one sure thing moving forward. Just yesterday, Cole scored a career high 33 points (10 in the fourth) to best one of the top teams in the league the Utah Jazz. Impressive stuff from the sophomore guard and if Cole has shown us anything we can be certain he has more in store.
