Kiyan Anthony, the Syracuse basketball 2025 signee, says he can't wait to arrive on the Hill and get to work.
The 6-foot-5 Anthony is part of a four-member 2025 class for the Orange at the high school level. This 'Cuse cycle, which also includes his close friend, four-star forward Sadiq White Jr., hovers around the top 10 nationally these days.
Anthony, a four-star shooting guard and a top-30 national prospect in the high school senior class, recently saw his 2024-25 campaign at Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., come to a close when the Crusaders lost earlier this month at the 10-team Chipotle Nationals in Fishers, Ind.
Kiyan Anthony looking to arrive on Syracuse’s campus ‘asap’@kiyananthony @Cuse_MBB @LuHiBasketball @AdamZagoria https://t.co/j5D5q0P5D1
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) April 4, 2025
Before heading to Central New York, Anthony and White will suit up in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 18 in Washington, D.C., and the Iverson Classic on May 3 in Hampton, Va. After that, Anthony tells top writer Sam Lance of zagsblog.com that he wants to get to the 'Cuse as soon as possible.
"Like no waiting. I’m trying to go up there asap and put all the work in," Anthony says. "I’m trying to go the first couple weeks of May. I have Jordan Brand Classic game and Iverson Classic, so just trying to go asap and just work on my body and lock in fully to basketball and put all distractions aside."
Syracuse basketball 2025 four-star commit Kiyan Anthony dishes on his dad.
Anthony's father, of course, is Orange legend Carmelo Anthony, who not too long ago was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as part of its 2025 class. Kiyan Anthony says he was looking forward to celebrating with his dad now that his senior season is over.
Melo, according to his son, will be in attendance at "every" Syracuse basketball game on the Hill. Kiyan Anthony says that his dad being at the JMA Wireless Dome will help bring the fan base "back alive. ... Syracuse hasn’t been too good these past few years. So just trying to go in there and do whatever I can do to help my team win. I feel like with my dad being there, it’s going to get the crowd back jumping. And we’re definitely going to win some games."
Undeniably, it will prove exciting to have Melo at the Dome for Orange games during the upcoming 2025-26 campaign, as the 'Cuse looks to rebound from a disappointing most recent term, when Syracuse basketball went 14-19 overall and missed the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight occasion.
I'll be curious to see how much court time Kiyan Anthony, White and other incoming freshmen receive in 2025-26 as part of head coach Adrian Autry's overhauled roster, given all the comings and goings via the transfer portal.
Both Anthony and White are top-30 national prospects in the 2025 class, but that doesn't mean they'll play a ton as freshmen. Still, Anthony says of White, "That’s my dog. That’s definitely my close friend. He brings a different type of athleticism, different type of energy. So looking forward to throwing him a lot of oops next year. He’s a winner too. So we going in together trying to turn Syracuse around."