NEW YORK — Cole Anthony has definitely noticed a Who’s Who of big-time college basketball programs coming through the Archbishop Molloy gym in recent weeks.
There was Louisville head coach Rick Pitino and Florida coach Mike White on Thursday, along with assistants from UConn, Indiana and Miami.
Maryland’s Mark Turgeon was in on Tuesday.
And assistants from Duke and Kansas have also been in recently.
“It’s a lot different than last year,” Anthony told me Thursday. “I mean, going from open gyms having no coaches to having a lot of coaches on the East Coast coming out here. Honestly, it’s a blessing. We all worked for it. Me, Khalid [Moore], Moses [Brown], everybody in here, we all worked for it and it’s just an honor.”
Yes, Molloy’s “Big Three” of the 7-foot-1 Brown, the 6-7 Moore and the 6-2 Anthony figures to draw a steady stream of coaches for the next two years.
As far as Anthony goes, he and his family — his father Greg Anthony is the former NBA point guard — have kept it close to the vest on his recruitment.
And understandably so. He’s still only a rising sophomore and has plenty of time to make a decision. The Verbal Commits Website lists only Wake Forest and Iona as having made offers to Anthony, but rest assured he will be able to play at just about any college he wants. He’s that good, and should only get better playing alongside Brown and Moore and with the PSA Cardinals AAU program.
“Everybody loves him, it’s hard not to love him, he’s a great player,” Molloy coach Mike McCleary told me. “He’s grown so much maturity-wise from last year to this year. We talk every day and last year we didn’t talk every day. He comes by every day. And the things I tell him at 10 o’clock in the morinng I want to see him do in open gym, he’s doing in open gym.”
McCleary said Anthony was espeiailly pleased to see Duke’s Jeff Capel and Kansas’ Norm Roberts in the gym.
“He was happy when Duke was here last week but he was also happy that Kansas was here,” he said.
“It’s pretty much every kid’s dream who picks up a basketball,” Anthony said. “Those are two of the best colleges in the country. They got some of the best alunni, it’s just an honor.”
Asked if he grew up a Duke fan, Anthony said, “Duke and North Carolina but I’m open to everybody.”
He declined to elaborate on Duke’s message to him: “That’s on the low right now. My dad talked to them. It’s going to come out soon.
“My offers are not out right now, we just don’t need the hype. Honestly, I’m more of a fan of college basketball right now, I don’t need the hype. It will all come as I keep growing as a player.’
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