Syracuse Basketball: 4-star Kiyan Anthony, on fire of late, skyrockets in 2025 rankings

Kiyan Anthony, the Syracuse basketball 2025 priority recruiting target and four-star shooting guard from New York City, has proven a hot commodity in recent months for his performances on the AAU circuit and at other showcase events.

Last month, the 6-foot-5 Anthony lit up the scoreboard at the prestigious National Basketball Players Association ("NBPA") Top 100 Camp in Orlando, Fla., putting forth some monster numbers while earning rave reviews from national analysts and scouts alike.

He's also was a top-10 scorer, averaging around 20 points per game, while suiting up in various spring sessions for the 17U squad of the Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike’s EYBL league.

Anthony, who received a scholarship offer from the Orange in November of 2022 and took an official visit to the Hill in late October of last year, also recently participated at a training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo., to vie for a spot on the 12-player roster of the 2024 USA Basketball U17 national team.

While Anthony didn't make the team, that he was one of 35 prospects across the 2025 and 2026 classes to get an invite to the training camp speaks to the growth of his game.

To that end, analysts and scouts, in recent months, have noted Anthony is much more confident and assertive. He's evolved his offensive repertoire beyond that of primarily a long-distance shooter, they say, to become more of a three-way scorer, while continuing to enhance his ball-handling, facilitating for others, defense and rebounding.

Syracuse basketball faces growing competition for 2025 four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony.

Given his stellar play in recent months, Anthony is seeing a two-fold increase in offers/interest from college squads, along with his 2025 national rankings.

For one, when 247Sports updated its ratings for this class not too long ago, he jumped roughly 20 spots to No. 35 overall. Over at Rivals.com, following a recent 2025 refresh there, Anthony climbed four spots to No. 34 nationally.

Currently, On3 is the most bullish on him, placing Anthony at No. 27 around the country in his class. Both the industry-generated 247Sports Composite and the industry-generated On3 Industry Ranking, at the time of this writing, slotted him within the top 35 nationwide, the top 10 at shooting guard and the No. 1 prospect coming out of New York state.

I'm not an analyst or a scout, however, if Anthony keeps on performing like he has over the past few months, I believe he can make a run at five-star status in the 2025 cycle when all is said and done.

As it pertains to his recruiting process, yes, there is some analyst buzz in the Orange's direction for Anthony on Rivals.com and the On3 Web site. However, in multiple recent interviews, Anthony has said he's still looking to take some upcoming campus visits before trimming down his list and then ultimately make a college decision, likely in November or December.

The rising senior at the powerhouse Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., has amassed more than 20 offers, including newer ones from Arizona State and Ohio State. Other college squads, such as Auburn and Arkansas, are showing an interest in the son of Syracuse basketball legend Carmelo Anthony.

To date, Kiyan Anthony has officially visited the 'Cuse and Florida State. He has said several times of late that he's eyeing second visits to both of those schools, while potentially making trips to others such as Ohio State, Indiana, Arizona State and Auburn.

When Anthony comes out with his list of finalists, the Orange is going to make the cut. Syracuse basketball coaches have prioritized him in the 2025 class for a long time, and he's developed strong relationships with numerous 'Cuse coaches.

If I were a betting man, I'd bet that at this juncture, Syracuse basketball is arguably the leader for him. Simultaneously, if I were a betting man, I'd bet that the Orange prevailing for Anthony is absolutely not a 100 percent certainty.