Syracuse basketball sophomore shooting guard Kiyan Anthony is opening up about new head coach Gerry McNamara, his freshman campaign on the Hill and the offseason's transfer portal.
The 6-foot-5 Anthony, the son of Orange legend and Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, says that if anybody other than McNamara was hired by SU officials as the program's next head coach, "I probably would have transferred," he told Syracuse.com.
Candidly, that doesn't surprise me at all. Kiyan Anthony, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native, was heavily recruited for multiple years by former 'Cuse head coach Adrian Autry and his staff, and that included one season when McNamara was still an SU assistant before leaving to become Siena's head coach.
Autry sported a 49-48 overall mark in his three seasons as the Orange's head coach, including a 15-17 record in the 2025-26 term, when Anthony was a college newbie.
SU officials fired Autry this past March and brought in another former Syracuse basketball standout, McNamara, to attempt to turn the program around. McNamara and Melo were the driving force behind the Orange winning its first and only national title in 2003.
Following the 2025-26 season, and as the transfer portal was opening, Anthony said that numerous schools wanted to pursue him and have him visit their respective campuses, but Anthony says it was important to meet with McNamara first.
The two had a FaceTime call, and then they met in McNamara's office for 90 minutes. Additional meetings included Anthony's parents. Ultimately, Anthony elected to return to Syracuse basketball for his sophomore season.
Kiyan Anthony is one of two main scholarship players from last season who returned to Syracuse basketball.
As a freshman, Anthony averaged 18.7 minutes, 8.0 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while connecting on 39.9 percent from the field, 25.4 percent from beyond the arc and 62.8 percent from the free-throw line.
He called last season "an emotional year," and understandably so. Anthony acknowledges that he's got a different kind of connection with McNamara than perhaps any other coach, because Anthony has known GMac since he was a little kid.
Anthony says he appreciates that McNamara doesn't sugarcoat things. The new Orange head coach hasn't promised Anthony a starting spot or any specific amount of playing time, regardless of who his dad is. Anthony knows he has to keep working hard and improving.
"He doesn’t flatter me with praise," Anthony said of McNamara. "He tells me the truth every day. If I’m lacking on something, he’ll tell me to pick it up. And that’s why I appreciate it."
McNamara, to me, is exactly the kind of head coach that Anthony needs, and I'm cautiously optimistic that Melo's son can make a solid sophomore leap. Anthony's good friend, sophomore power forward Sadiq White Jr., should also be positioned well in McNamara's system to shine in the upcoming campaign for the 'Cuse.
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