From an early age, Anthony Black has been a wanted man.
He was (and is) a popular, outgoing teenager. He was a coveted basketball prospect – and that was before he was a five-star recruit coming out of high school.
And now, the 6-7 guard who was born in Las Colinas and helped continue Duncanville High School’s long history of basketball greatness, is ready to start his NBA life.
Black will be a lottery pick in Thursday night’s draft (7 p.m., ESPN). The Mavericks have the 10th overall pick. Whether or not Black is there for them to consider is questionable. He very likely will go before No. 10.
But a team can dream, right?
Black is one of the anchors of a strong Dallas-area collection of talent that will be selected in this year’s draft. Also expected to go in the first round are Keyonte George (Lewisville, Baylor) and Cason Wallace (Richardson, Kentucky). Richardson Pearce’s Drew Timme (Gonzaga) is among several others who could go later in the first round or second round.
Black spent one season at Arkansas under coach Eric Musselman. He is the only player in Razorbacks’ history to have at least 450 points, 180 rebounds and 140 assists in a season.
Not a bad feat considering the school churned out Sidney Moncrief, Joe Johnson and Alvin Robertson, among many other talented wings and guards, to the NBA.
And it didn’t take the wiry Black long to make an impact at the college level. He had 26 points in back-to-back games at the Maui Invitational in his first month of NCAA action.
But way before his season at Arkansas, Black had an interesting journey.
He went to Coppell High School, but eventually transferred before his senior season to Duncanville.
It was a move that later would result in an investigation by the University Interscholastic League and after Duncanville won the 2022 state championship, the school was forced to forfeit all games in which Black played and was stripped of its championship.
Nevertheless, it was a terrific year on the court, albeit a tough one off of it. Black became another Duncanville basketball legend, following players like Greg Ostertag and Tamika Catchings, among others.
Black has made a fast impact pretty much every time he’s taken another step in his basketball life.
“Every team I’ve played on, I’ve done a good job of helping my teammates look good, I feel like,” Black said during the NBA draft combine. “I hear a lot of Josh Giddey (comparisons). I watched him a lot his rookie year. I just liked the way he made reads, wasn’t sped up. I see a little bit of myself in that.”
Black also said he tried to watch a lot of Gilbert Arenas growing up, as well as Kobe Bryant, of course, which every youngster in Black’s age grouping did.
While Black’s shooting will be a work in progress, he’s got so many physical gifts that he should be able to overcome any early shooting shortcomings in his career.
“It’s crazy playing with a guy of that length,” Arkansas teammate Trevon Brazile said. “He plays point guard, so that’s just crazy to have someone out there like that, that catches lobs on the backside, like a wing – somebody that versatile.”
His teammates have often benefited from that. And now, he’ll be his own man. And his affinity for running a team and letting others look good because of his passes or the attention that he draws should make him a popular player in the league.
Meanwhile, a player like Wallace, who also could be in the mix when the Mavericks draft 10th, is hoping to follow a similar path to the NBA that another former Dallas-area high schooler, Tyrese Maxey of South Garland, who also went to Kentucky before being drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers.
“Knowing that he’s from Kentucky, I asked him a few questions about my situations and how he went about them,” Wallace said of Maxey. “I’m sure I’ll be able to do that at the next level as well.”
We’ll all find out Thursday night.
Twitter: @ESefko
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