Top analyst talks Syracuse basketball chances with 4-star Kiyan Anthony

Syracuse basketball recently welcomed 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony from New York City on an official visit to the Hill, at which time social media erupted with beautiful photos of Kiyan and his parents on his trip to Central New York.

While I’m the first to acknowledge that the 6-foot-5 Anthony, his dad, Orange legend Carmelo Anthony, and his mom, actress La La Anthony, looked right at home on Kiyan’s official visit to the ‘Cuse, it’s by no means a guarantee that this top-40 national prospect will end up committing to Syracuse University down the line.

Understandably, some Orange hoops fanatics think that that Syracuse basketball is the runaway front-runner for Kiyan Anthony, but I’m not in that camp, even if he has said he has a high interest in the ‘Cuse, and the possibility of carrying on his dad’s legacy with the Orange is appealing.

At the same time, Kiyan Anthony has said in numerous interviews that he’s keeping his options open. He also recently took an official visit to Florida State, and Anthony has said he plans to officially visit Big Ten Conference schools Indiana and Michigan.

What’s more, his already extensive offer sheet could continue to grow as he gets set for his junior season with one of the country’s top high-school teams.

An expert says it’s no lock that Syracuse basketball will land Kiyan Anthony.

Recently arriving in the top 25 nationally, per updated 2025 rankings from The Circuit, Anthony holds offers from schools such as West Virginia, UCF, Michigan, Maryland, Dayton, Florida State, Pittsburgh, Albany, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Seton Hall, UMass, Providence, Memphis, Bryant, George Mason and Manhattan.

He blew up this spring and summer while starring for the Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike’s EYBL league on the AAU circuit, which helped fuel a rankings bump as well as an expansion of his offer list.

Anthony attends 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”).

Not too long ago, on X, I asked Rivals.com national analyst Rob Cassidy, one of the top recruiting experts out there, about the Orange’s chances with Kiyan Anthony.

Cassidy’s first point is an interesting one, as he said, “I’m always skeptical of the follow-in-dad’s-footsteps narrative unless the same coach that coached dad remains in place.”

That’s something to consider. Melo won a national championship in 2003 at Syracuse basketball under Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim. Boeheim, though, retired this past spring, giving way to former player and long-time assistant Adrian Autry as the ‘Cuse head coach.

Now, Autry and his coaching staff have been prioritizing Kiyan Anthony for a while now, and the younger Anthony has spoken highly of his relationship with Orange coaches, led by Autry.

Cassidy believes that Syracuse basketball “will be a player and likely a finalist” for Kiyan Anthony, and I’m in agreement there. Anthony has said that he’s likely to announce a top five or a top six in the coming months, and I’d be shocked if the ‘Cuse isn’t still a contender then.

"More from the Rivals.com national analyst: “Whether or not the Orange can actually pull it off will hinge, at least partially, at how the first year of the Adrian Autry era plays out. … I believe there will have to be some positive momentum in order to convince a player like Anthony to hop on board. Prospects like him simply don’t have to buy into the promises of future success when so many other coaches will offer them tangible evidence of past accomplishments.”"

That’s also an important point from Cassidy. If Syracuse basketball struggles under Autry in the 2023-24 season, might that turn Anthony off? We’ll see.

The Rivals.com expert also mentions that Anthony is likely to pick up additional scholarship offers in the near future. To me, it really comes down to which other schools get official visits from him.

Cassidy writes that there’s a “decent chance” that Kiyan Anthony ends up picking the ‘Cuse, but it’s by no means a lock, regardless of what some Syracuse basketball fans are opining.