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North Carolina freshman Cole Anthony entering NBA draft

Notre Dame v North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots over Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at the Dean Smith Center on November 06, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 76-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina freshman point guard Cole Anthony is entering the NBA draft.

Anthony announced his decision Friday. He had been considered a likely one-and-done player and a high first-round draft prospect before his arrival in Chapel Hill, though he had said last month he was delaying any draft announcements while looking to find ways to help amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“While no one truly knows what the next few months will look like,” Anthony said in a statement Friday, “I’m ready for whatever God has in store.”

The 6-foot-3 Anthony - son of former UNLV and NBA player Greg Anthony - averaged a team-high 18.5 points, starting with 34 points against Notre Dame to set an Atlantic Coast Conference record for points by a freshman in his debut. But the Tar Heels (14-19) suffered the first losing season in head coach Roy Williams’ Hall of Fame career.

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Anthony missed 11 games due to arthroscopic knee surgery, sparking some to question whether he and other top draft prospects should shut it down or return from injury. But Anthony remained adamant he would return, then did for the final 13 games.

Anthony was the only UNC player capable of reliably creating his own shot, though the Tar Heels had trouble at times blending Anthony’s ball-dominant style with an inside-first approach that led to a pair of wins immediately before his return.

“He had some spectacular moments as a Tar Heel and showed the potential I feel will make him very successful in the NBA,” Williams said in a statement. “He has our complete support going forward and I will be one of his biggest fans.”

Cole Anthony is projected to be picked in the lottery of the 2020 NBA Draft.

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