UNC's Cole Anthony Would Be Stoked to Play For Doc Rivers' 76ers

In less than a week, University of North Carolina standout Cole Anthony expects to hear his name called in the 2020 NBA Draft. And the 20-year-old point guard could end up becoming the Philadelphia 76ers' next first-round rookie.

Anthony, a 20-year-old guard who grew up in New York, is looking forward to the possibility of joining the Sixers. On Friday afternoon, the former UNC guard revealed to a group of reporters through Zoom that the Sixers are one of a handful of teams he's had contact with during the pre-draft process.

“I had a good Zoom call with the 76ers recently,” Anthony stated. “It was good -- It was really good.” In addition to discussing the results of his virtual meeting with the Sixers, Anthony also praised the 76ers' newest coach, Doc Rivers.

Back when Rivers played for the New York Knicks from 1992 to 1994, he was on a team with Cole Anothy's father, Greg. While the former Tar Heel acknowledged he could be playing for one of his dad's former teammates, Anthony couldn't help but praise the veteran head coach for what he's accomplished from the sidelines.

"Shoot, forget him being one of my father's former teammates," Anthony said. "That's a great coach right there. So being coached by someone like Doc Rivers, who's an NBA champion -- that'd be legendary right there. You can't ask for much more than that."

The six-foot-three-inch guard played just a single season at North Carolina in 2019. After starting in 20 of 22 games, Anthony averaged 18 points and four assists while knocking down 38-percent of his field-goal attempts and 34-percent of his shots from beyond-the-arc.

There's a realistic chance Anthony is still on the board when the Sixers are on the clock with pick No. 21. Whether they will snag the point guard or look elsewhere is unclear. Soon enough, we'll see how it all plays out.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_