Syracuse Basketball: Melo’s 4-star son heads to country’s top super league

Syracuse basketball, Carmelo Anthony (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images)
Syracuse basketball, Carmelo Anthony (Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images)

Kiyan Anthony, a Syracuse basketball recruiting target and the son of Orange legend Carmelo Anthony, is transferring from one of New York’s top high-school teams to one of the best squads around the country.

The 6-foot-3 Kiyan Anthony, a 2025 four-star shooting guard who received a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse coaching staff last November, said on Sunday via his Twitter page that he is heading to Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., which is one of the premier high-school groups during the current 2022-23 season.

Anthony, a top-65 prospect in the sophomore class per 247Sports, has been playing in 2022-23 for Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y.

Christ the King, historically is one of the most famous programs nationwide in high-school hoops and has been in the top-25 rankings for parts of the current term. Long Island Lutheran, though, was rated in the top-five overall across the country in this past week’s top 25 from MaxPreps.

Syracuse basketball recruit Kiyan Anthony is moving on to a powerhouse team.

In the 2022-23 stanza, Long Island Lutheran joined the absolutely loaded National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”), a 10-team super league comprised of top-flight independent basketball academies and other prep-school squads.

A campaign ago, before coming on board to the ‘Cuse, 2022 four-star guard Judah Mintz and 2022 four-star small forward Chris Bell played in the NIBC for the Oak Hill Academy from Mouth of Wilson, Va., and the Wasatch Academy in Mount Pleasant, Utah, respectively.

Per MaxPreps, Long Island Lutheran has a 14-2 overall record, with some impressive victories to date in 2022-23. Plus, the only two setbacks suffered by the Crusaders are by a combined 11 points to juggernaut units the Montverde Academy out of Montverde, Fla., and the IMG Academy from Bradenton, Fla.

Some experts have opined recently that Long Island Lutheran has an excellent shot to be invited to the eight-team GEICO Nationals, a prestigious event that will take place this coming spring.

According to recruiting services and media reports, Anthony’s offer sheet, besides Syracuse basketball, includes Memphis, Bryant, George Mason and Manhattan. He has reportedly received interest from other college squads such as Illinois, Penn State, St. John’s and Morgan State, among others.

Anthony has said he is excited about his offer from the Orange, but he’s also said that he’s enjoying his recruiting process, which is in its early stages, and keeping his options open, which is smart.

https://twitter.com/ED23HOOPS/status/1621908339524239360?cxt=HHwWgICwudTCloItAAAA

I personally think that the ‘Cuse will be a significant contender for him. But he’s also about to begin competing in the country’s most prestigious and visible high-school hoops conference.

Assuming Kiyan Anthony shines at Long Island Lutheran, that will undeniably lead to more scholarship offers and higher national rankings for him. We’ll certainly continue to track his recruitment as well as his play in the NIBC.