Syracuse Basketball: Carmelo Anthony loves that SU offered his 4-star son

Syracuse basketball (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images)
Syracuse basketball (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images)

Syracuse basketball coaches recently offered a scholarship to 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony, who is the son of Orange legend and long-time NBA star Carmelo Anthony.

Since the ‘Cuse offered the 6-foot-3 Kiyan Anthony last month, he has said in interviews that this offer means a lot to him. He has said that the potential opportunity to continue his dad’s legacy on the Hill means a lot to him, too.

And Anthony, a top-65 national prospect in the sophomore class, has also said that he’s taking his time with his recruiting process and keeping his options open, which is smart, since many more high-major offers are likely to arrive for him.

Plus, as cool as it would be for Anthony to suit up for Syracuse basketball down the line, there would also likely be added pressure, given that his father had a historic one-and-done season in Central New York, leading the Orange to its only national championship in the 2002-03 campaign.

Carmelo Anthony weighs in on his son receiving a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball.

Last Monday night, on ESPN2, Kiyan Anthony and his teammates at Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y., traveled to the Sierra Canyon School in Chatsworth, Calif., whose roster features 2023 four-star guard Bronny James, the son of LeBron James.

"Dear friends Carmelo Anthony and LeBron were in attendance, as Sierra Canyon knocked off Christ the King, 62-51. On the broadcast, when asked about his son’s recent offer from the Orange, Carmelo said, “It was beautiful because I know how much it meant to him. Of course, it means a lot to me. But this is his journey, his journey it’s not going to be my journey and his path is not going to be my path. So whatever he want to do, I just want him to enjoy it.”"

In recent weeks following the ‘Cuse offer to Kiyan Anthony, I’ve read a lot of comments from fellow Orange fans on social media and in chat rooms that suggest it’s basically a guarantee that Melo’s son will end up committing to Syracuse basketball.

While I’m not a recruiting analyst myself, respectfully, I don’t agree with this prognostication. As his dad has pointed out, Kiyan Anthony is only 15 years old. His recruiting process is just getting started.

Sure, he has other offers from teams such as Memphis, Bryant, George Mason and Manhattan, along with interest from Illinois, Penn State, St. John’s and Morgan State, among others.

To the best of my knowledge, at this point in the 2022-23 stanza, Anthony is coming off the bench for Christ the King. I assume he will blossom into a starter for the Royals, but Anthony I imagine has more growing to do physically, as he continues to hone his craft.

College coaches can’t even directly initiate contact with 2025 prospects until June 15 of next year, so I’m sure Anthony’s offer sheet will keep on expanding for the foreseeable future.

Will Syracuse basketball be a significant contender for Anthony? I think so. I hope so. Is it a foregone conclusion that he’s coming to the ‘Cuse? No way. Not in the least.

Is it cool and awesome and fun that Syracuse basketball has offered Melo’s son? You bet.

But as Carmelo Anthony has said, this is Kiyan’s journey to go on. Hopefully, the Orange is in his future. We’ve likely got a long while to wait, though, before finding out whether Kiyan will continue his legendary father’s legacy on the Hill.