A big surprise if Syracuse basketball doesn't land 4-star Kiyan Anthony, analyst says

The recruitment of Syracuse basketball 2025 priority target Kiyan Anthony from New York City is expected to carry on for several more months, and Orange fans are understandably anxious to learn where the four-star shooting guard ends up for his collegiate career.

The 6-foot-5 Anthony, the son of Syracuse basketball legend, long-time NBA star and future Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, recently disclosed a top six of the 'Cuse, Ohio State, Auburn, Rutgers, Florida State and Southern California.

Kiyan Anthony received a scholarship offer from the Orange in November of 2022. In late October of last year, he went on an official visit to the Hill. Recent media reports indicate he's likely to visit all six of his finalists before making a commitment announcement, which could occur before his senior season in high school commences.

Yes, it's true that there is analyst buzz in the direction of Syracuse basketball for Kiyan Anthony on the On3 Web site and Rivals.com. It's also true that some Orange fans think it's a foregone conclusion that the top-30 national prospect will ultimately pick the 'Cuse.

I'm not in that camp. At the same time, to believe that Syracuse basketball is, at least for now, the leader in Anthony's recruiting process is an understandable sentiment. And one of the top experts out there in high school recruiting recently weighed in on Anthony and the Orange.

A national analyst thinks it would be a huge surprise if Kiyan Anthony doesn't play for Syracuse basketball.

This spring and summer, Anthony was a standout for the 17U squad of the Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike's EYBL league. He is a rising senior at the powerhouse Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y.

Long Island Lutheran is a member of the loaded 14-team Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic ("EYBL Scholastic"). In the upcoming 2024-25 season, Anthony will battle Syracuse basketball 2025 commit Sadiq White Jr., a five-star forward and a top-20 national prospect who has transferred for his senior year to another EYBL Scholastic team, the juggernaut IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

The 6-foot-8 White, who hails from Charlotte, N.C., recently told top writer Sam Lance on zagsblog.com that he's actively recruiting several highly rated 'Cuse targets, including Anthony, to join him in the Orange's 2025 class, a cycle that several analysts have recently opined could prove quite special on a national scale.

Recently on the 247Sports College Basketball Show, a couple of top national analysts discussed a variety of topics, including Anthony's recruitment. Comments from this particular show were relayed via an article from top 247Sports analyst Mike McAllister.

Adam Finkelstein, the director of scouting at 247Sports, said: "I want to talk about Kiyan Anthony. Obviously there's a lot of interest in him because he's Carmelo Anthony's son number one. But also number two, because he is a potent scorer in his own right. He has got a list of Auburn, Syracuse, Florida State, Ohio State, USC and Rutgers."

Then, 247Sports national basketball director Eric Bossi chimed in. He said in part about Anthony, "Maybe something crazy happens here but I think him ending up anywhere other than Syracuse for school would be one of the bigger surprises we've ever seen in recruiting."

"The favorite has to be Syracuse, right?" Bossi said. "Big believer that kids don't go to schools where their dad is a coach or they don't go play for a school where their father was a legend. I don't believe they do it until they actually do and it very rarely happens. With Kiyan we're talking about a dude whose dad is a legend. Obviously Carmelo won a national championship there. His name is on the building that they practice in. Can't see that guy passing that up to go to Rutgers. It just doesn't make any sense. Not to mention all the shoe ties with Rutgers being an Adidas program and Carmelo being a Jordan Brand athlete."

I'll say it until I'm blue (or Orange) in the face. I don't believe it's a lock that Kiyan Anthony is going to don a 'Cuse uniform down the line. But I do think that Syracuse basketball is the favorite in his recruitment, and assuming he visits the Orange again, and that visit goes well, I am adamant that it will prove tough for any of his other five finalists to prevail over Syracuse basketball in Anthony's recruiting process.