By R.L. Bynum
In his debut Down Under, Cole Anthony made history, wasting no time showing why Melbourne United pursued him this offseason.
The former UNC guard poured in 30 points in just 22 minutes off the bench in his National Basketball League (NBL) debut on Saturday night, a 97–95 loss to the Adelaide 36ers.
According to Melbourne United, it was the fifth-highest scoring debut in the NBL’s 40-minute era (since 2009–10), and he’s the only player in league history, since minutes have been tracked (1986), to score 30 points in under 30 minutes in his first game.
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Anthony was 10 for 21 from the floor, including 3 for 7 on 3-point attempts and 7 of 9 at the free-throw line.
“I might be a little biased, but I don’t feel like we’ll lose another game for a while,” Anthony said. “I’m gonna call it what it is and superstitions or not, God willing, if we keep people healthy I think we’re gonna be a heck of a team.”
Anthony scored 13 consecutive Melbourne points when he initially entered the game. His 3-pointer in the final minute cut Adelaide’s lead to two, but United couldn’t get closer.
For Anthony, the debut serves as an emphatic first step after a frustrating season last year in the NBA. He came off the bench in all 35 games for Milwaukee, averaging 15.1 minutes and 6.7 points before the Bucks traded him to Phoenix on Feb. 5. The Suns waived him on Feb. 27 without Anthony appearing in a game.
Melbourne plays next on Thursday night against S.E. Melbourne Phoenix.
Photo via nbl.com.au
