Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Kiyan Anthony strong bonds with SU program

Kiyan Anthony, a fast-rising 2025 four-star shooting guard from New York City, received a scholarship offer from Syracuse basketball coaches last November, and he says that offer from his dad’s alma mater is still a “shock” and “surreal” to him.

The 6-foot-5 Anthony, who has seen his stock surge this spring on the AAU circuit playing at a high level for the Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike’s EYBL league, said in a recent podcast interview with Light It Up Sports that he will take an official visit to the Orange at some point.

That being said, while his dad is Syracuse basketball legend and recently retired NBA star Carmelo Anthony, it’s no guarantee that Kiyan Anthony will follow in his father’s footsteps and don a ‘Cuse uniform down the line.

Anthony has said that he continues to keep his options open. What’s more, as the contact period opened up on June 15, enabling college coaches to reach out to 2025 prospects directly, Anthony’s already growing offer sheet should further expand in the near future.

Four-star sophomore guard Kiyan Anthony says he has a strong relationship with Syracuse basketball.

Besides the Orange, Anthony’s offer list includes Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Seton Hall, UMass, Providence, Memphis, Bryant, George Mason and Manhattan.

Last November, when he and his dad attended an Orange football contest, Anthony had a chance to chat with Syracuse basketball coaches. He said that ‘Cuse coaches talked to him about his game and offered him a scholarship.

In his recent interview with Light It Up Sports, Kiyan Anthony said that he didn’t necessarily expect to pick up a Syracuse basketball offer that early on in his recruiting process. He called the offer a “shock to me” and “surreal.”

Knowing that his dad played for the Orange and won a national title at the ‘Cuse during the 2002-03 season, for Kiyan Anthony to have the chance to potentially follow in his father’s footsteps and play for Syracuse basketball is a “great feeling.”

To reiterate, though, Anthony stresses that he’s taking his time with his recruitment, and he’s keeping all of his options open.

Anthony says that he has a strong relationship with the Orange coaching staff and is “super cool” with all of the SU coaches. While he respects the legacy of the Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim, who coached his dad, Boeheim retiring this past March doesn’t decrease his interest level in Syracuse basketball.

Kiyan Anthony mentioned that his father played alongside current ‘Cuse associate head coach Gerry McNamara when both of them were freshmen. Melo and GMac were pivotal players on the team’s 2003 NCAA Tournament championship run.

Anthony says that he and McNamara always have open, candid conversations. GMac doesn’t shy away from giving Kiyan Anthony pointers on how he can continue to improve his game, Anthony says.

Without question, first-year head coach Adrian Autry, McNamara and the rest of the Syracuse basketball coaching staff will keep on developing a strong relationship with Kiyan Anthony, and I look forward to him taking an official visit to the ‘Cuse campus at some point.

Anthony also discussed his relationships with current Syracuse basketball players on the Light It Up Sports podcast. He says he’s close with several players on the Orange’s 2023-24 roster, such as Kyle Cuffe Jr., Chance Westry and Judah Mintz, among others.

The 6-foot-2 Cuffe, a redshirt-freshman guard, recently transferred to the ‘Cuse from Kansas. He was born in New York, N.Y., played his high-school ball at the Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., and ran with the PSA Cardinals in Nike’s EYBL league on the AAU circuit.

The 6-foot-6 Westry, a freshman guard/small forward, also transferred to Syracuse basketball this off-season, from Auburn. Westry, who is from Harrisburg, Pa., was a standout in grassroots basketball for the New York City-based NY Renaissance in Nike’s EYBL league.

The 6-foot-3 Mintz, meanwhile, recently said that he would return to the Orange for his sophomore year after testing the 2023 NBA Draft waters. Mintz hails from Fort Washington, Md., which is located within the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., metropolitan corridors.

As a senior in high school, Mintz competed for the powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Va. Guess who also played his senior season at Oak Hill? Carmelo Anthony.

Kiyan Anthony, by the way, will spend his junior stanza during the 2023-24 term at the juggernaut Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., which is a member of the prestigious 10-team National Interscholastic Basketball Conference (“NIBC”).

This past February, Anthony said he would move from Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village, N.Y., to Long Island Lutheran, which played in the 2023 GEICO Nationals this spring. Kiyan Anthony is a top-70 national prospect and a top-15 shooting guard in his class, according to multiple recruiting services.