CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein thinks that freshman guard Kiyan Anthony will start for Syracuse at the onset of the 2026-27 campaign, the first season under new head coach Gerry McNamara.
Interesting.
First and foremost, predictions such as Rothstein's this far in advance of the next term are super early and fun to debate, but we'll have to see how summer workouts and preseason practices go before truly knowing what McNamara's starting five may entail for 2026-27.
I do get the sense that the Orange's starting line-up will include three guards, because the team's guards have terrific positional size. Plus, candidly, there isn't all that much of a difference, positionally speaking, between a shooting guard and a small forward; they're both wing players.
Rothstein's projected starting line-up for Syracuse basketball is as follows:
•Garwey Dual at guard
•Aiden Tobiason at guard
•Kiyan Anthony at guard
•Sadiq White Jr. at power forward
•Luke Wilson at center
Do you think Kiyan Anthony will start for Syracuse basketball in the upcoming season?
For reference, here is the current 'Cuse roster for the 2026-27 campaign:
•Ryan Moesch, a 2026 four-star point guard from Central New York
•Mark Morano Mahmutovic, a 2026 four-star wing from Slovenia
•Abdramane Siby, a 2026 center from Mali
•Freshman guard Kiyan Anthony
•Freshman forward Sadiq White Jr.
•Freshman wing Calvin Russell III
•Sophomore guard Noah Lobdell
•Sophomore guard Aiden Tobiason, a four-star transfer from Temple
•Junior guard Garwey Dual, a four-star transfer from McNeese State
•Sophomore guard Gavin Doty, a four-star transfer from Siena
•Junior power forward/center Tasman Goodrick, a three-star transfer from Siena
•Redshirt sophomore center Luke Wilson, a four-star transfer from Appalachian State
I agree with Rothstein regarding Dual, Tobiason, White and Wilson. I'm not entirely sold on Anthony, and I think that if he doesn't start, the most likely Orange player who would is Doty. He had an excellent sophomore stint at Siena, averaging 18.0 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per contest while making 45.8 percent from the field.
Anthony, as a freshman in 2025-26, when the 'Cuse went 15-17 overall, struggled with his shooting. He's good at getting into the paint and scoring near the rim, but his defense, free-throw shooting and 3-point shooting must improve.
Anthony's dad, Carmelo Anthony, who won a national title at Syracuse with McNamara in 2003, is confident that GMac will help Kiyan Anthony take a sophomore leap on the Hill.
Ultimately, to me, it doesn't matter who starts for SU in 2026-27. It's all about who is playing the most minutes, making the biggest impact and playing in crunch time. Will Anthony start? Maybe. Maybe not.
Add us as a preferred source on Google