[Crowd cheering] - [Announcer No. 1:] It's ACC basketball, a conference game
to open up the year here on Tobacco Road.
[Crowd noise]
A centerpiece of Roy Williams' retooling effort:
Cole Anthony, one of the top freshmen in the country.
His first two points as a North Carolina
Tar Heel.
Anthony from deep. Cans it.
Four to shoot, Anthony.
Cole Anthony has been sensational.
Anthony again.
- Another three!
- [Announcer No. 2:] He's just showing off now.
- [Announcer No. 1:] Cole Anthony, 34 points.
The most ever scored by a Tar Heel in his debut.
- [Roy Williams:] In the second half, it was Cole Anthony.
That was pretty impressive to say the least.
- Imma be happy about it a little bit tonight.
Give myself a little pat on the back,
but we got practice tomorrow.
We gotta clock back in. We got a game on Friday. ♪♪♪ It's my time, time, time, time ♪♪♪
- [Narrator:] This dude straight blew up in his first game,
dropping 34 on the Irish.
Of course, Cole Anthony came in as the highest-rated
point guard in the country.
But when you put up those numbers in powder blue,
expectations follow.
- [Williams:] Well, I think that a lot of players
that we've had that chose to come here
is because the history, the tradition.
We attract the kind of kids who can lose
themself in the team.
A young man can come here to try to win a national
championship and also be able to reach his own
individual dreams and goals.
- [Cole Anthony:] There's a really rich tradition in UNC.
I mean, there've been several good teams that have come
through here.
A lot of NBA players have come through here as well.
So, I mean, it's just that legacy that we just have to carry.
- [Williams:] For many years, I've felt the biggest
adjustment for a high school kid to a college kid,
playing at the ACC particularly,
is that your level of intensity has to be really,
really high, and it's got to stay up there.
You wanna take pride in competing
and take pride every day in being able to play your best
regardless of who you're playing.
- [Announcer:] Off we go from Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
[Upbeat music]
Anthony.
Lays it in!
Anthony.
Got it!
- [Narrator:] With Cole running the show,
the Tar Heels jumped out to 6-1
and No. 6 in the country.
The tone was set,
the path laid out, another dominant UNC squad in the making.
- [Cole Anthony:] Coming into the season,
I thought we were going to be a pretty good team.
I thought we were going to have a chance to win a national title,
but, I mean, I wasn't expecting to get injured.
- [Announcer:] Cole Anthony out with a knee injury.
- [Radio host:] Partially torn meniscus.
- [Announcer:] Cole Anthony, electing to have surgery.
- [TV analyst:] He is listed as out indefinitely.
- [Announcer:] Now you're looking at a team that
is without Cole Anthony for the next four to six weeks.
- [Host:] Without him, how many games are they going
to be able to win?
UNC? It's in a lot of hurt here.
- [Radio host:] They've seen better days in Chapel Hill.
- [Williams:] When I first heard that Cole got hurt,
we didn't think it was quite that significant.
And then all of a sudden, it comes back:
He's going to have to have surgery.
So your first concern is:
How is he going to handle the surgery?
How is he going to bounce back?
How is he going to be with it?
- When they first told me that, I just broke down.
I just started crying.
I was just thinking that
I just wanted to play with my brothers,
play with everyone on this team.
I felt I had more to give.
So it just, it hurt me
that I wasn't able to be out there with them.
- [Announcer:] I'm not trying to be alarmist,
but no Cole Anthony,
if I'm a UNC fan, I have real concern about even making
the tournament this year.
- [TV analyst:] UNC desperately needs Cole Anthony back to get on track.
- [Williams:] Our conversations, once he was injured,
was: Son, you're going to be all right.
This has happened to other good players,
and they've come back very well from it.
Let's just take it a day at a time,
take the rehab a day at a time. Work at it.
Be Cole. Give it everything you have,
and let's see what happens."
- Even ACL tears, you know, guys come back to 100 percent.
This was a meniscus. We've seen this all the time,
when guys come back 100 percent.
I was happy to hear that he did come back
because a lot of guys would have tried to preserve
their draft stock.
You know, shut it down the second the injury happened.
And I think that really speaks to Cole's mentality,
that he's a competitor. He wants to play.
He wants to win games.
- [Announcer No. 1:] The wait is over.
After missing 11 games, Cole Anthony, back in the Dean Dome.
- [Cole Anthony:] A lot of people were telling me
I shouldn't come back, but I just thought
the best way to get better at playing basketball
is just through game experience.
- [Announcer No. 1:] Anthony, for three.
He's got it!
- [Announcer No. 2] Feels like he's regained that rhythm.
- [Narrator:] Even with Cole back,
the struggles of the season were real.
UNC had fallen out of the rankings,
and their season was spiraling.
And to compound it,
they dropped the next four in a row.
- [Announcer:] From the Dean Smith Center,
Virginia and UNC. We get ready for this matchup.
Good atmosphere here tonight.
- [Greg Anthony:] Good. How are y'all?
This place is incredible.
22, 23,000.
This city, Chapel Hill, revolves around
the university.
Obviously, the basketball program.
You've got one of the greatest coaches ever
in Roy Williams.
When you have an opportunity to be a part of something
like this, this will be with you for the rest of your life.
- [Offscreen:] Everybody say, "Carolina win"!
- Carolina win!
- [Announcer No. 1:] The defending national champs
are in the house.
Anthony. Jump.
Got it.
Cole Anthony with a three.
Diakite. Hangs.
Hits—and one!
Anthony. Inside. Hangs. And in.
What a shot!
Virginia down a point.
- [Announcer No. 2:] Clark, bounces in the corner.
Woldetensae. He'll take the three
and knock it in with three tenths of a second!
- [Announcer No. 1:] And Virginia escapes with a big win.
- [Cole Anthony:] I saw it go in. I said...
I wanted to cry. I ain't gonna lie to you.
I wanted to cry.
It's really deflating, but at the end of the day,
our season's not over.
We gonna keep our heads high. We have a game Monday.
We gonna come out with some fire on Monday,
and we gonna lock in.
- He needed this one, and Coach Williams told him, you know,
this has probably been the most difficult year
of his short life.
And the reason it's going to be really good for him
is because it's made him have to
reevaluate
and to make fundamental changes.
- He comes in obviously as the top player.
You hand the keys to him as a,
as a freshman point guard in the ACC.
I don't think people realize how difficult that is.
- [Jonathan Wasserman:] Yeah, I mean North Carolina,
I mean they're always a team that is
expected to go to the Final Four.
The bar is kind of higher for a guy like Cole,
particularly given his high school accolades.
And then again, the prestigious North Carolina, you would expect
wins.
- [Announcer:] Carolina in dire need of a spark.
And another turnover by North Carolina.
- [Williams:] What you can take from adversity
is just how you handled it.
And I tell him, that's the way it is in life.
You can't just roll up into a fetal position and go in a corner,
start crying for your mama.
You got to come play. And you've got to try
to get better every single day.
- [Cole Anthony:] Sheesh. This was probably my first losing season
my whole life.
So, I mean, I've said this before: This has been
one of the hardest years I've had playing basketball.
♪♪♪ Hope comes in the morning ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Gonna take my time ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ And claim what's mine again ♪♪♪
The game's, like, if it's later, we'll usually get up
and go do something, just to get active.
But if we have, like, we've had some early games in the past
where we'll just sleep in and go straight to shootaround.
But the game's not till 8,
so everybody's just gonna go get some breakfast now.
And then we got some time after that,
so I'll probably watch some film after that.
♪♪♪ I woke up this morning, 7:45 ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Went in, got me some breakfast ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ In my 745, dang ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ What a beautiful day to be alive ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Put the top back ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Let all of the G-O-D inside ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Came a long way from days in the ville ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Told my lady to pinch me ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Man, this couldn't be real ♪♪♪
- Hello. - I just tweaked.
- I'm at an expensive restaurant. Can you send me $10?
- $10!
- You be doing the same thing?
Please, Mom. Thank you.
All right, I'm gonna call you back.
What did you say?
- [Cole Anthony:] No, bro. We winning tonight, bro. I don't care.
Bro, remember how we had Kobe playing defense last year
on the USA team? - Yeah.
- We gotta start playing that type of defense, bro.
I don't care, bro. We just, we just gotta win, bro.
I just need one. That's gonna get all of our confidence
back, bro, for real.
We just need one.
♪♪♪ Feel like Superman ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Hope comes in the morning ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Gonna take my time ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ And claim what's mine again ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Gonna take my time ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Gonna take my time ♪♪♪
Most difficult part this year has to be
just losing all these games when we just,
we know we're better than this.
I mean,
we know we're a better team than this,
and it's just been really deflating,
really frustrating just to
be in these close games. And end up losing them
at the buzzer.
I mean, I might have been, we've probably had
four or five games this whole year where we just lost
at the buzzer, which is just super unlucky.
But at the same time, we can't lose hope.
Two hours before the game, walk over,
and there'll be a huge crowd of people
just waiting to get in.
This is like two hours before game time.
So that joint's just crazy.
I just want to help my team get some wins.
That's all I want to do for them.
I just feel like I owe them a lot more.
I can play a lot better and just help my team get some wins.
- [Announcer:] Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill,
North Carolina, for a rivalry game
between the Tar Heels and North Carolina State.
- It ain't been going well, so I'm going to switch it up.
I'll just rep the hat tonight
and go in here and root our Tar Heels on to victory, we hope.
This year has been more stressful
than any year since he was in middle school
because it's the first time where he's had to
deal with collective and individual disappointment.
So, you know, for your child,
you, you want it so bad for him.
And I know how badly he wants it.
And, you know, the way we've lost so many games,
it's been, it's been frustrating.
I'll tell you, it takes a toll, man.
I'll be honest.
- Tar Heels, baby!
- [Greg Anthony:] Man, we gotta get a dub tonight.
- [Announcer No. 1:] This team is 10-17.
Cole Anthony! And one!
Anthony...tie game!
And a steal by Anthony!
He'll finish it!
Brooks. That was a great feed from Anthony!
Clutch bucket for Cole Anthony!
And North Carolina has secured the end
to a seven-game losing streak. [Cheering]
- All right, be good. Be safe.
I'll talk to you tomorrow.
- All right, appreciate it.
Win felt good. Happy for the team.
Just happy that we can all just get this feeling.
That's my, actually my first win
since before my injury, since 2019.
So, it felt good. It felt good.
- [Announcer No. 1:] No one saw this coming,
but if North Carolina wants any chance at the Big Dance,
they'll need to win the ACC tournament.
- [Announcer No. 2:] This is the largest deficit that North Carolina's
faced at any time this season.
- [Announcer No. 3:] They got out-hustled,
got out-classed, got out-fought.
- [Announcer No. 2:] Stares of disbelief on the Carolina bench.
It's really been a season all year long
that's been hard to believe.
- [Williams:] You know, my expectations were that we had a lot of
new guys coming in.
I thought we had a chance to be good,
but we were going to have to stay healthy.
I've never had a losing record in my life,
and so it's something that I'm not very happy with,
to say the least.
- [Greg Anthony:] I remember telling Coach Williams,
I say, you know, this is, it's been a strange year.
You know, him getting hurt,
all the other injuries that we've had.
Just everything that could've gone wrong, did go wrong.
But I said to him, that, you know,
if we had to experience a year like this,
I wouldn't want him to have experienced it anywhere else
other than North Carolina.
- [Williams:] It's been the most difficult basketball
season for me and my entire staff, much less our kids.
But I think we've sorta gotten a little bit
of strength from each other.
- This is a long journey,
and there are always going to be bumps in the road.
And the key is that you can learn from those experiences,
appreciate 'em.
And, hopefully, those experiences will allow you
to become a better person and a player moving forward.
- [Narrator:] Cole may have been shaken,
but he wasn't broken.
However, the future for him was suddenly murky.
- [Cole Anthony:] Well, I'm not going back to college
for another year. That's,
that's not gonna happen.
I mean, that was never honestly in the picture.
We're gonna enter the draft.
- [Announcer:] The wait is over.
Cole Anthony announced today he's going pro.
- [Cole Anthony:] I don't think there are words to describe, like, just
how this moment feels to me.
So, I'm just really excited
to work toward my dreams and aspirations.
I mean, I love Carolina. Nothing against the school.
I love them. But I just feel like this is the best
move for me, just in terms of my journey.
- [Narrator:] It was time for Cole to put Carolina
in the rearview.
Focus on the bigger dream.
But even he didn't know what was to come.