Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Kiyan Anthony says he will officially visit ‘Cuse

In a recent podcast interview, 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony from New York City says he will take an official visit to Syracuse basketball at some point in the future.

The 6-foot-5 Anthony, who was offered a scholarship by the Orange coaching staff last November, discussed his recruitment and various other topics in a really cool interview with Light It Up Sports. I highly recommend checking out this podcast!

Kiyan Anthony doesn’t have a specific date lined up for a future official visit to the Hill, but he did say of officially visiting the ‘Cuse at some point, “that’s a must.” Rising juniors can begin taking official visits on August 1 of this year, and beginning on July 1, the NCAA will allow high-school prospects to take an unlimited number of official visits.

Anthony, the son of Syracuse basketball legend and recently retired NBA star Carmelo Anthony, has had a breakout spring on the AAU circuit, competing at a high level for the 16U squad of the Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike’s EYBL league. Late last month, the EYBL wrapped up its regular season, and the Nike league will hold its annual Peach Jam tournament from July 3 to July 9 in North Augusta, S.C.

Syracuse basketball faces growing competition for 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony.

Anthony, in the 2023-24 campaign, will suit up for the powerhouse Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., which is a member of the loaded 10-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”). This past February, he transferred to Long Island Lutheran from Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y.

As Kiyan Anthony has shined in grassroots basketball over the last few months, his offer sheet has grown. While he’s already a top-70 national prospect and a top-15 shooting guard in the 2025 class, recruiting analysts and scouts believe that he is poised to climb further in the national rankings for this cycle.

Dating back to mid-April, Anthony has picked up numerous impressive offers. At this juncture, his offer sheet, besides Syracuse basketball, includes Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Seton Hall, UMass, Providence, Memphis, Bryant, George Mason and Manhattan.

Come June 15, the contact period for the 2025 class will open up, enabling college coaches to initiate direct communication with players in the rising-junior cycle. At that point, I’m sure Anthony’s offer list will further expand.

During the podcast interview with Light It Up Sports, when asked about some schools that he may want to visit, Kiyan Anthony noted the Orange and others such as Indiana, Illinois, Seton Hall, Providence and Tennessee.

Once the contact period opens up, he will be able to chat directly with college coaches to schedule official visits, and hopefully soon thereafter, we will know more about when Kiyan Anthony plans to officially visit the ‘Cuse.

As far as other college suitors showing interest that could potentially offer him in the near future, Anthony mentioned Michigan, Houston, 2023 national champion UConn, Pittsburgh and St. John’s, whose new head coach is two-time national champion Rick Pitino.

Now, I know that a lot of Syracuse basketball fans have chimed in on social media and in chat rooms that they think Kiyan Anthony is a lock to suit up for the Orange down the line. Respectfully, I totally disagree with that sort of thinking.

While I do believe that the ‘Cuse will be a significant contender in his recruitment, as Anthony has spoken highly of the program and has said he was excited to land an Orange offer, he has also said on multiple occasions that he’s looking for the best fit for him. He’s also said that he continues to keep his options open, which is smart.

As to the chatter, which I noted in a recent column, that Kiyan Anthony could take an official visit to Syracuse basketball alongside another Orange 2025 target, five-star point guard Tyler Jackson, while that’s a possibility, nothing has been finalized.

The ‘Cuse coaching staff offered a scholarship to the 6-foot-3 Jackson, the No. 1 point guard nationally and a top-10 overall player in the 2025 class per ESPN, in late April.

He is a standout for the Saint Frances Academy in Baltimore. In late May on the AAU circuit, Jackson shifted from the Baltimore-based Team Thrill in the Under Armour Association league to play for Team Melo during the EYBL’s fourth regular-season session in Memphis, Tenn.

At this session, Jackson led the EYBL’s 16U division in scoring, and Anthony was also fantastic. In his podcast interview, Kiyan Anthony said that Jackson is one of his closest friends.

Anthony adds that he will look to set up some official visits during the college football season, perhaps in September and/or October. He will have more clarity on these visits once the contact period opens up.

Kiyan Anthony says that he and Jackson, who complement each other well in the backcourt while playing together on the AAU circuit, will talk together to determine if they might want to take an official visit simultaneously to Syracuse basketball. Anthony says that option is a possibility.

It’s also worth noting that Anthony and Jackson have some overlapping offers from other schools besides the ‘Cuse. Jackson’s offer sheet, at present, includes Virginia Tech, California, Kansas, Alabama, Maryland, Illinois, Rutgers, Seton Hall, DePaul, George Mason, Georgia Tech, Rhode Island, Houston, Penn State and UCF, among others.