4-star Kiyan Anthony on Syracuse basketball: 'The coaches recruited me from day one'

Throughout his recruiting process, 2025 four-star shooting guard and top-30 national prospect Kiyan Anthony from New York City had plenty of suitors beyond Syracuse basketball.

Yes, the 6-foot-5 son of Orange legend Carmelo Anthony often spoke highly of the 'Cuse, but Kiyan Anthony visited schools besides Syracuse basketball, too. Despite what some Orange fans continued to opine, from my perspective, it was never a lock that Anthony would end up choosing the 'Cuse.

He himself often stated that the Orange was a big-time player in his recruitment, but that Anthony was keeping his options open, which was a smart move by this talented senior out of Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y.

In the end, though, Syracuse basketball coaches prevailed for Anthony, as he recently picked the 'Cuse over Big Ten Conference member Southern California, another squad that he officially visited. For roughly two years, Orange coaches recruited Anthony hard, and that full-court press paid off.

Four-star guard Kiyan Anthony details why he selected Syracuse basketball.

In a recent interview with top 247Sports national analyst Dushawn London, Anthony said in part, "I chose Syracuse because the coaches recruited me from day one. They really showed me they were recruiting me for who I was and that it had nothing to do with my Dad. I could see the vision with Sadiq (White) going over there and being one of the most athletic people in the class, an overseas guard coming, and the potential of seniors like JJ Starling and Chris Bell coming back. Next, we just need a big man. From the vision and what they're telling me my role could be, it all made sense. USC was right there with them I'm not going to lie. There was a point where I was about to choose USC but I kept talking with my parents and ultimately decided to go with Cuse."

When the early signing period for 2025 basketball prospects took place from November 13 to November 20, the Orange officially signed four players, per SU Athletics. They are Anthony, five-star forward Sadiq White Jr. from Charlotte, N.C., four-star guard Luke Fennell from Melbourne, Australia, and three-star wing Aaron Womack from the Milwaukee area.

Currently, this Syracuse basketball 2025 class is ranked in the top 10 around the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.

The pursuit of Anthony by the 'Cuse staff dates back around two years. The Orange offered him a scholarship in November of 2022. He officially visited the Hill in late October of last year.

At the start of the fall recruiting period, in early September of this year, Anthony conducted an in-home visit with Syracuse basketball coaches. And the 'Cuse staff was in attendance for Anthony on numerous other occasions, including amid NCAA live periods when he starred on the AAU circuit for the Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike's EYBL league.

Per London's story and other reports, Syracuse basketball head coach Adrian Autry and assistant coach Brenden Straughn were regularly in touch with Anthony throughout his recruitment.

Anthony said to 247Sports: "Coach Brendan Straughn and Coach Autry would call me every day. The separating factor between them and USC was that the USC whole coaching staff would call me a lot but Syracuse would show up to my house and practices. They really showed interest. They came with presentations more than just basketball. They covered dorms, in-house stuff, NIL, and all that stuff. It was more than basketball with the coaches. They showed the full play of what they can offer."

Those sentiments were echoed by Anthony in a piece from ESPN national writer Jeff Borzello and ESPN recruiting director Paul Biancardi. Regarding the Orange, Anthony said in part to ESPN, "Ultimately, it came down to my relationship with the staff. From day one, when they started recruiting me, they made me feel like it was family. My dad's name on the facility is special, but I want to go in there and create my own name, and I've already done that through my dedication in the offseason, with early-morning practices, playing at camps, playing on the circuit."

The 'Cuse coaching staff never just assumed that Anthony would play for the Orange in the future, given that his dad led the program to its only national championship at the end of the 2002-03 season. Syracuse basketball coaches, undeniably, put in the work with Kiyan, and he's a key piece of the team's special 2025 class.