Syracuse Basketball: GMac, Melo watch as 4-star Kiyan Anthony, his No. 2 team shine

Kiyan Anthony, the Syracuse basketball 2025 priority recruit from New York City, put forth a solid performance on Tuesday night as his team, which is ranked No. 2 in the nation, won in front of some Orange hoops legends.

Anthony’s squad, the powerhouse Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., is currently playing at a prestigious annual event, the 2023 City of Palms Classic at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla.

On Tuesday evening, the 6-foot-5 Anthony tallied 12 points and two assists as Long Island Lutheran defeated the Westminster Academy from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., by a final count of 83-59, according to media reports.

Per On3 national analyst Joe Tipton, in attendance for Long Island Lutheran’s victory were Anthony’s father, Syracuse basketball legend and long-time NBA star Carmelo Anthony, as well as ‘Cuse associate head coach Gerry McNamara.

Melo and GMac, as we all know, helped lead the Orange to the program’s only national championship back in 2003. At present, Syracuse basketball coaches continue to prioritize four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony in the junior cycle, and he took an official visit to the ‘Cuse in late October.

Syracuse basketball offered a scholarship to Kiyan Anthony in November of 2022.

Tipton, who has been on site at the City of Palms Classic, wrote in part that Anthony “played a solid game for Long Island Lutheran, knocking down a several shots for a total of 12 points. His father, Carmelo Anthony, was in attendance for the game.”

Kiyan Anthony’s full offer sheet, at this juncture, includes schools such as West Virginia, UCF, Michigan, Maryland, Dayton, Florida State, Pittsburgh, Albany, Illinois, Indiana, Tennessee, Seton Hall, UMass, Providence, Memphis, Bryant, George Mason and Manhattan.

As I noted in another recent column, as first reported by Tipton, blue-blood program Kentucky has been showing some interest in Anthony.

He’s also taken an official visit to fellow Atlantic Coast Conference member Florida State. Anthony has said on numerous occasions that he’d also like to officially visit Big Ten Conference schools Indiana and Michigan.

Over the spring and summer, Anthony received high marks from national analysts and scouts for his play on the AAU circuit as a member of the Baltimore-based Team Melo in Nike’s EYBL league.

His performances in grassroots basketball helped fuel a surge in his offer list, as well as a jump in his 2025 national rankings.

These days, multiple recruiting services rate Anthony as a top-40 overall player, a top-10 shooting guard and the No. 1 prospect in New York state within his class.

Long Island Lutheran, by the way, competes in the loaded 14-member Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic (“EYBL Scholastic”).

Last week, MaxPreps had the Crusaders at No. 2 across the country in a set of rankings solely for independent basketball academies and prep schools that do not compete for state-affiliated titles. The Crusaders are currently 6-0 in the 2023-24 season, per MaxPreps.

On Wednesday, beginning at 4:30 pm in the City of Palms Classic, Anthony and Long Island Lutheran were scheduled to battle another highly rated program, the Don Bosco Preparatory High School from Ramsey, N.J.