Syracuse Basketball: Blue-blood Kentucky interest in 4-star Kiyan Anthony

Kiyan Anthony, the Syracuse basketball priority recruit and son of Orange legend Carmelo Anthony, is receiving interest from blue-blood program Kentucky, Kiyan Anthony told On3 national analyst Joe Tipton.

In late October, the 2025 four-star shooting guard from New York City took an official visit to the Hill. He’s also officially visited fellow Atlantic Coast Conference squad Florida State.

The 6-foot-5 Anthony picked up a scholarship offer from the ‘Cuse coaching staff in November of 2022, and he’s amassed numerous additional offers from a range of high-major programs. Kentucky, understandably, is a competitor to monitor, as head coach John Calipari is an ace recruiter who sends a lot of Wildcats players to the NBA.

A junior at the powerhouse Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., which is part of the 14-member Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic (“EYBL Scholastic”), Anthony’s full offer sheet to date includes college squads 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.

Syracuse basketball remains a big contender for 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony.

This past spring and summer, Anthony played quite well on the AAU circuit competing for Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike’s EYBL league. That helped fuel an expansion of his offer list, and he’s moved into the top-40 overall of his class, per several recruiting services.

On numerous occasions in recent months, Kiyan Anthony has said that he would also like to take official visits to Big Ten Conference schools Indiana and Michigan. He reiterated that plan in his interview with Tipton.

In the On3 article, Anthony spoke highly of FSU, ‘Cuse, Indiana and Michigan, and he also dived into the interest from Kentucky a bit. While Hall of Famer Jim Boeheim coached his dad, Adrian Autry is the head coach at Syracuse basketball now.

Kiyan Anthony continues to say that he has developed a strong relationship with Autry and the rest of the Orange coaching staff, but I’ll continue to stress: it is by no means a guarantee that Anthony will follow in Melo’s footsteps and play for the ‘Cuse down the line.

Kentucky, led by Calipari, could prove a threat to the Orange’s chances. Calipari’s recruiting prowess is well-known and long-standing. As an example, according to the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, when I wrote this article, the Wildcats possessed the No. 2 class nationally in the 2024 cycle, and Kentucky had the No. 1 class in 2023.

Anthony has said that he’s keeping his options open and isn’t in a super rush to make a college decision. That being said, I’ve seen him say in interviews that he’s likely to make a commitment announcement by the time his senior season in high school begins.