Garrison Brooks poses with UNC head coach Roy Williams (right) and assistant Hubert Davis (left) (Photo via @laflare_10)

Two surprises in the Cole Anthony commitment to Carolina.

With more than 90 percent of the recruiting gurus predicting Anthony would be a Tar Heel, the announcement on ESPN Tuesday morning still had a couple of cool angles to it. The decision itself was tipped off by the dynamic 6-3 combo guard and No. 2 prospect in the high school class of 2019, who appeared on the ESPN set wearing a sweatshirt with light blue and white colors.

When Anthony said “North Carolina,” no one was surprised but Tar Heel Nation nevertheless erupted over social media less than 24 hours after Duke announced the last of its latest recruiting class.

Anthony’s parents were completely in concert with their son’s decision because they want him to join a family atmosphere for however many years he stays in college. Roy Williams got the major props as the relentless recruiter who simply outworks other coaches in the race. Look for Ol’ Roy to have an exact number for how many times he saw Cole play this past season.

But with repeated mentions by the Anthony’s of Hubert Davis, Carolina’s under-the-radar assistant got the most publicity in his seven years on the UNC staff. Davis has not been in the conversation as Williams’ eventual successor, but it was clear that Hubert the family man had a major impact on the recruit that puts the Tar Heels back in the national picture for 2020. And why not? A great college player and better pro, Davis’ soft-spoken manner should have an effect on recruits with similar values.

The second surprise was an almost immediate Tweet from fellow-five-star signee Armando Bacot that said, “Funny part about it is we not even done yet.” Did that mean that tough-nosed 4-star guard Anthony Harris, who teamed with Bacot on the Nike Peach Jam winner last summer, would sign with Carolina that same day. Or even more recruits were coming to create important competition in practice for starting roles and playing time.

I’ve always been amused how incoming freshmen can completely overshadow returning players with college experience, so fans should not lose sight of Brandon Robinson’s improvement and Leaky Black’s potential. With Bacot, Brooks and Manley rotating through the post positions, lanky Robinson and Black on the wings and Anthony replacing Coby as the scoring, driving guard, Carolina might not have the hype of Duke but certainly the chops to compete with the Blue Devils they have beaten four of the last six times.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Bailing Out
Roy Williams probably had reasons for the soft statements. Carolina fans reacted strongly to the video of a team party after the win over Duke. Only Armando Bacot and Day’Ron Sharpe were in the video, but a statement from players and managers said it was supposed to be a closed event that other students and […]
Chansky's Notebook: Please, Go In!
UNC men's basketball faces what is an early season must-win at Georgia Tech. Art Chansky says a look at the statistics is painful, but not terminal.
Chansky's Notebook: Leaky Steps Up
Dean Smith used to say he’ll be happy with a one-point win. The legendary UNC basketball coach struggled spiritually between playing well according to his teachings, regardless of outcome, and winning no matter how poorly you play. Since his job was to win and he was so competitive, he chose the latter. If he was […]
Chansky's Notebook: Rock(et) Star
Ben Kiernan was UNC’s MVP of the Notre Dame game. When Mack Brown went over the 31-17 loss, he gave mixed reviews to the two main branches of his Tar Heels’ play. He said the offense was good in the first half and then “went dead” in a scoreless second half. He praised the Tar […]
Chansky's Notebook: Goals and Ambitions
Garrison Brooks has both opportunity and pressure. On paper, the ACC looks as weak as it has been in some time due to widespread losses to graduation and early departures to the NBA, and no sure-shot superstars in the incoming recruiting classes. A beneficiary of this development is Brooks, the Carolina senior who was second-team All-ACC last year and earned the league’s […]
Chansky's Notebook: A COVID Debate
Clemson was livid that Florida State wouldn’t play the game. Let’s be lawyers, and make a case for each of the teams that did not play its scheduled game over the weekend. Clemson had traveled to Florida State when it learned a player with mild symptoms who had practiced with the team all week tested […]
Chansky's Notebook: Draft Dodgers
Carolina and Duke players have lost ground in the NBA draft. Like everything else with sports in the COVID era, the NBA draft goes off tonight after being postponed for five months. And if you look at the various mock draft boards, certain things jump off your screen. First of all, about half the names […]
Chansky's Notebook: A Two-Thirds Bet?
What if Phil Mickelson and Mack Brown amended their bet? With the Masters being moved back to this weekend due to COVID, perhaps the three-time champion should revisit the fun bet he made with Carolina’s football coach back in 2003. The famed lefthander was still seeking his first Green Jacket when he partnered with the Texas football coach at the […]
Chansky's Notebook: Kudos To Carolina
UNC teams did a commendable job beating the odds. Who among us thought the ACC would be playing football and other fall sports last summer? With the pandemic upon us and the medical experts still learning, the seasons looked like a long shot. While other conferences pumped the breaks and/or called off football, the ACC […]
Chansky's Notebook: Extra Motivation
Carolina’s schedule could be working to its advantage. When the COVID-revised list of games came out, it looked troublesome for the Tar Heels with Virginia Tech and Florida State basically bookending Notre Dame and Miami with four rivalry games in a row right in the middle. Coaches usually don’t like that because it takes a […]
›