Saturday night’s gash to the forehead of Cole Anthony pretty much summed up the complete mess of a season it’s been for North Carolina this year. As I took a quick scroll through Twitter, I saw what looked to be a dead body on a basketball floor. He quickly returned to the game, and it’s just another reminder Cole Anthony is an absolute badass.
Cole Anthony: “Why am I always getting hurt!?” pic.twitter.com/kmka45ZVLa
— Kevin Boilard (@247KevinBoilard) February 16, 2020
Anthony does not have to play college basketball this season. He could stop playing right now and it would not affect his NBA Draft where he is currently projected to be the top pick. He did not need to return to North Carolina after undergoing knee surgery earlier this season.
Plenty of college athletes are calling it quits early to get ready for the pros with not a whole lot to gain. It’s no longer big news when football players leave before the bowl game. Even Nick Bosa left Ohio State in 2018 when he could’ve returned to a potential national championship team.
We saw earlier this season in college basketball when James Wiseman hung up his college basketball sneakers after just a few games.
I wouldn’t have blamed Anthony if he didn’t want to play anymore especially since the Tar Heels are awful and will not be an NCAA Tournament team unless they go crazy in the ACC Tournament. A frustrated Anthony returned to the court with a bandage to hold his head together in another heartbreaking loss for North Carolina.
Keep the conversation going by reaching out to Erik Buchinger on Twitter or email erik@deceptivespeed.com.