Melbourne United superstar recruit Cole Anthony’s recent on-court behaviour is under investigation by the NBL and Basketball Australia, with Australian basketball legend Andrew Gaze believing the American guard’s repeated outbursts are becoming a distraction for both himself and his team.
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With Basketball Australia reviewing Anthony’s conduct to determine whether any Code of Conduct breaches have occurred, Gaze has weighed in on the controversy, questioning the impact of the incidents on United and how the club can help its star guard manage his emotions moving forward.
“Well, there’s no doubting the talent.. (the) talent is exceptional,” he said
“But this sort of is a distraction that I don’t think he or the team needs.
“As much as you understand someone’s personality and that they might have prevented you to get a little bit emotional from time to time, if you have to keep managing it, it can be problem.”
Anthony has developed a pattern of outbursts towards officials in recent games, with his frustrations spilling over into interactions with cameras and the commentary crew.
His latest controversy came during Melbourne United’s victory over the New Zealand Breakers, when the former NBA guard was caught on camera venting his frustration towards league officials during a third-quarter time-out.
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The incident followed an earlier technical foul just minutes into the opening quarter, with Anthony’s frustration towards the officiating continuing to build throughout the contest.
Following the game, Anthony reportedly approached the commentary bench and allegedly yelled “Eight versus five!”, appearing to suggest that the officials were favouring the Breakers.
However, the statistics paint a different picture, with United called for 33 fouls compared to New Zealand’s 32, while Melbourne also attempted five more free throws than their opponents.
It was not an isolated incident, either.
Following United’s win over the Cairns Taipans on Saturday, Anthony once again directed his frustration towards a camera, declaring: “ … some f***in’ consistency, yo, Jesus Christ.”
While Gaze believes Anthony’s behaviour has gone too far, he acknowledged that the 26-year-old is far from the first professional athlete to struggle with controlling his emotions during competition.
“We see this with athletes in all sports,” he said
“Some people, it’s just their personality, their competitiveness and how they can control their emotions, it can be difficult for them.
“The classic example is the John McEnroe type.
“You just want to question everything and you think the world’s against you, the officials are making mistakes or whatever.
“So it can be a difficult challenge. I don’t think it’s something that you fix overnight, but it’s one that you’ve got to just continue to work on and provide some guidance and hopefully that they can do that”
COULD ANTHONY FACE A FINE?
Anthony’s repeated outbursts have now raised questions over whether he could face disciplinary action, with the NBL Integrity Unit and Basketball Australia reviewing the incidents for potential Code of Conduct breaches.
Under the current disciplinary framework, Basketball Australia’s Code of Conduct for Elite Level Participants, which came into effect in January 2023, includes several provisions that could potentially apply to Anthony’s recent behaviour.
In particular, clauses 5.5 and 5.6.3 address public comments and conduct towards match officials.
Clause 5.5 prohibits players from making public comments that are profane, obscene, defamatory or bring the sport into disrepute, while clause 5.6.3 addresses unnecessary or obvious dissent towards officials, including derogatory or abusive language and gestures.
Anthony’s repeated public criticism of NBL officials could therefore fall under either provision, depending on the findings of the review.
For Gaze, however, the issue goes beyond any potential financial penalty, with the Australian basketball great believing Anthony must first acknowledge that his behaviour has become a problem.
“Well I think with all these types of challenges the first step of resolving the problem is acknowledging that you have a problem,” he said
“If he is not yet at a stage where he has acknowledged that he has a problem and this is all brought upon by others then I think you’ve got a challenge.
“And we’re not talking about radical change. It’s just … if you eliminate a couple of the extreme examples of what we saw, abusing commentators, running off and swearing at the television and if you eliminated just two or three of those, then we say, ‘oh well, bit chirpy’, you know.”
While the league is yet to announce any disciplinary outcome, Gaze believes Anthony’s actions have already crossed the line, regardless of whether a fine or further sanction is handed down.
“It has got to a level where there is a problem,” he said
“And he, in my judgment, is 100% in the wrong in some of them. If he is not yet at the stage where he also understands that, then you’ve got a long way to go.”
Despite his recent controversies, Anthony has shown a completely different side to his personality away from the court, regularly interacting with fans and presenting himself as a friendly, approachable figure.
For Gaze, that contrast is an important part of understanding the situation, with the NBL legend believing Anthony is a good person whose competitive emotions have simply begun to cross the line.
“Every time I’ve heard him in an interview, been around him and seen the way he interacts with others, it seems like he’s a terrific young man,” Gaze said
“He has enough respect for those around him and understands his position.
“There have been many over the years that have that white-line fever where they have this personality and then when they step on the floor, they become something else.
“But what we’re seeing here is just a little too much and it’s too over the top.”
‘PEER GROUP PRESSURE’
While Anthony’s behaviour has become a major talking point across the league, Gaze believes the solution could come from within Melbourne United’s playing group, rather than relying solely on intervention from the coaching staff or basketball authorities.
For the Australian basketball great, the influence of teammates and the respect Anthony has for those around him could prove far more effective than public criticism or punishment.
“Ultimately, I believe the best way this can be dealt with is peer group pressure.” Gaze said
“When your peers are helping and managing and if they can provide that guidance, that is way more powerful than trying from someone else coming up and trying to shame him.
“I think that there’s more to it than just him reacting. I would think at the end of the game, if he looks back on it, he would, when you take the emotion out of it, he’d go ‘yeah, if I had my time over again, I probably wouldn’t have done that’.”
Gaze also suggested that professional support, alongside guidance from United head coach Jacob Chance and the playing group, could help Anthony better manage his emotions moving forward.
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“I think trying to find ways in which they can work with him, whether it’s a sports psychologist, whether it’s just his teammates or the coaching staff.”
“And I don’t know this at all, but I can almost guarantee that Jacob and his teammates would have said something to him. There’s no way that you could have let what’s gone by without just completely ignoring it. I don’t think you can do that.”