Syracuse Basketball: 4-star SG Kiyan Anthony ‘establishing his own game’

As the upcoming grassroots basketball circuit over the spring and summer months recently got an early start at an AAU event, Syracuse basketball 2025 four-star recruiting target Kiyan Anthony earned a lot of high praise for his play.

Anthony, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard in the sophomore cycle, competes for the Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike’s EYBL league. Team Melo, not too long ago, suited up at the MADE Hoops East Warmup in Manalapan, N.J.

At the East Warmup, Anthony “showed off improving athleticism & explosiveness, plus he provided notable shotmaking,” per a tweet from MADE Hoops scouting analyst Tony McNiff.

Anthony, the son of Syracuse basketball legend and long-time NBA star Carmelo Anthony, likely has a way to go in his recruiting process. Orange coaches offered a scholarship to Kiyan Anthony last November.

According to recruiting services, his early offer sheet includes the ‘Cuse, Memphis, Bryant, George Mason and Manhattan.

Syracuse basketball four-star recruit Kiyan Anthony is receiving strong praise from experts.

At the New Jersey event, Anthony “displayed his vastly improved game with vertical explosive finishes, crafty scoring, and a consistent straight-away 3-pointer … Anthony has developed a newfound toughness and swagger as he is more prone to attacking the rim and embracing contact,” Zach Smart wrote in a recent story on nychoops.rivals.com.

While Kiyan Anthony has received high marks since entering high school for his perimeter shooting, he’s not just a long-distance shooter these days.

"At the East Warmup, says 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London, Anthony “came out aggressive, got downhill, finished at the rim while still connecting on multiple threes. Anthony is an improved athlete and had multiple dunks – including one that went viral – and layups through contact. Anthony’s upside has always been apparent and he is going in the right direction in bringing his talent together.”"

Kiyan Anthony is heading into his junior season. In the upcoming 2023-24 campaign, he is attending Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., after transferring there from Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y.

Long Island Lutheran, a member of the loaded 10-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”), had a tremendous 2022-23 term, receiving an invite to the prestigious 2023 GEICO Nationals.

High-school hoops analysts are forecasting that Long Island Lutheran will, in 2023-24, once again prove a top squad across the country, and hopefully Kiyan Anthony will be an integral member of the Crusaders’ roster in the upcoming stanza.

Although his offer list isn’t huge at this juncture, Anthony should begin to receive more and more suitors as the contact period opens up in mid-June, permitting college coaches to initiate direct communication with 2025 high-school prospects.

When I penned this column, the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking rated Kiyan Anthony at No. 68 overall, No. 18 at shooting guard and No. 2 in New York within his class.

Anthony is No. 62 nationally, No. 14 at shooting guard and No. 3 in New York, according to 247Sports. And when On3 updated its 2025 national rankings not too long ago, Kiyan Anthony checked in at No. 60 nationally, No. 13 at shooting guard and No. 2 in New York.