Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Kiyan Anthony, 5-star Tyler Jackson eye visit

Syracuse basketball 2025 priority recruits Kiyan Anthony from New York City and Tyler Jackson from Baltimore are eyeing a potential visit to the Orange together at some point in September, a recruiting expert confirms to me.

In a recent article, the 6-foot-3 Jackson, a five-star, top-10 national prospect and the No. 1 point guard in his class via ESPN, discussed his recruitment with Colby Giacubeno, who is the owner of Colby G Scouting, a scout with Prep Hoops, and a recruiting insider with Inside Maryland Sports on the 247Sports network.

This story by Giacubeno is a VIP exclusive, so I won’t be sharing details of it here. However, Colby was kind enough to confirm some information to me. Please give him a follow on Twitter and check out his content.

Giacubeno confirmed that, according to Jackson, both Jackson and the 6-foot-5 Anthony, a four-star shooting guard, are eyeing a possible visit to the Hill together in September, but a specific date wasn’t disclosed at this time.

Giacubeno added that Jackson may be looking at a possible visit to Georgia Tech at some point. Giacubeno said to me that Maryland, a hometown team, will get a visit from Jackson, “but the date there is unknown.”

Syracuse basketball could soon welcome 2025 targets Kiyan Anthony and Tyler Jackson on a visit.

Last weekend, Anthony and Jackson suited up together on the AAU circuit for the Baltimore-based Team Melo (16U), as the Nike EYBL league held its fourth and final regular-season session at the Memphis Sports & Events Center in Memphis, Tenn., prior to the annual Peach Jam tournament commencing in early July.

As I noted in other recent columns, Jackson led the Nike EYBL league’s 16U division in scoring over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, averaging a ridiculous 30.0 points per game, and Anthony was also excellent.

Multiple national recruiting analysts and scouts dished out high praise to these two Syracuse basketball recruits, deeming them as standouts in the EYBL’s 16U division during this fourth session.

The ‘Cuse coaching staff offered Tyler Jackson in late April. Prior to shifting over to the EYBL, he was a key player as the Baltimore-based Team Thrill won the 16U spring championship in the Under Armour Association league.

Besides the Orange, Jackson’s offer sheet includes California, Kansas, Alabama, Maryland, Illinois, Rutgers, Seton Hall, DePaul, George Mason, Georgia Tech, Rhode Island, Houston, Penn State and UCF, among others.

As a sophomore in the 2022-23 campaign for the Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore, Jackson was named to the Baltimore Catholic League’s All-Conference second team, and the Panthers claimed the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association (“MIAA”) A Conference title.

Since receiving a ‘Cuse offer, Jackson has spoken highly of the Syracuse basketball program. He appears to be good friends with Kiyan Anthony and has also noted his relationship with Kiyan’s father, former Orange legend Carmelo Anthony, who officially announced his retirement from the NBA late last month and spent a good part of his childhood living in Baltimore.

Several recruiting services rate Tyler Jackson as a top-20 overall player in the 2025 cycle. ESPN has him at No. 9 nationally, No. 1 at point guard and No. 1 in Maryland. Personally, I think that Jackson should be under consideration for the No. 1 national rating in this class.

Kiyan Anthony, meanwhile, has blown up this spring as he’s shined for Team Melo. National analysts and scouts continue to rave about the evolution of his all-around game, and some experts have said that Anthony can make a push into the top 35 to the top 50 of the 2025 cycle, if not higher than that.

Syracuse basketball coaches offered a scholarship to Kiyan Anthony last November. But his growing offer sheet also includes Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Seton Hall, UMass, Providence, Memphis, Bryant, George Mason and Manhattan.

At this juncture, multiple recruiting services place Anthony within the top 70 overall of his class, as well as a top-15 shooting guard. This past February, he said that he would transfer from Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y., to Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., which is a member of the loaded 10-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”).

Long Island Lutheran was a top-five national team in the 2022-23 season and competed in this spring’s GEICO Nationals. High-school hoops experts believe that the Crusaders will prove a national title contender in 2023-24, when Kiyan Anthony will be a junior.

Given how well Kiyan Anthony and Tyler Jackson have played so far on the AAU circuit this spring, their stocks are only going to keep rising. Plus, college coaches will be able to initiate direct communication with 2025 prospects in mid-June, at which time Anthony and Jackson’s respective offer sheets are likely to further balloon.

That being said, Syracuse basketball coaches appear to be in regular contact for both of these talented recruits, and it would be huge if they did end up taking a visit together to the ‘Cuse in September.