Syracuse Basketball: Sizing up the top 6 of 4-star priority recruit Kiyan Anthony

As expected, Syracuse basketball has made the top six of 2025 four-star priority recruit Kiyan Anthony, although the Orange's competition to prevail for the 6-foot-5 shooting guard from New York City is intense.

While some 'Cuse fans, understandably, continue to maintain that Syracuse basketball winning out for the son of Orange legend and long-time NBA star Carmelo Anthony is inevitable, I am not in that camp.

Without question, head coach Adrian Autry and his top-flight staff are recruiting Kiyan Anthony hard, and that's proven the case for Syracuse basketball coaches for a while now. The top-30 national prospect, per On3, landed a 'Cuse scholarship offer in November of 2022, and Anthony took an official visit to the Hill last October.

According to his social media accounts, Anthony has a top six of the Orange, Ohio State, Auburn, Rutgers, Florida State and Southern California. Throughout his recruitment, he has secured around 20 offers in total, per recruiting services.

Recent media reports seem to indicate that Anthony plans to take upcoming visits to his six finalists, and certainly those visits will play a critical role in his college decision, which is likely to arrive just before his senior season in high school commences.

Let's delve into the top six of Syracuse basketball 2025 four-star priority recruit Kiyan Anthony.

Anthony, over the spring and summer, was a standout performer on the AAU circuit while suiting up for 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.

Okay, so what about his top six? Well, regarding the Orange, obviously there's the connection to his dad, but Anthony has said over and over again that he's going to pick whatever program feels right for him. Autry and his assistants have shown Anthony that he's a top target for the 'Cuse in the 2025 cycle, and another great visit to Central New York can only help the Orange's chances.

Ohio State, Rutgers and Southern Cal are all in the Big Ten Conference. What's more, those three Big Ten members all recently offered Anthony. The Buckeyes have a new head coach in Jake Diebler, and reports suggest that Diebler and his staff are in regular contact with Anthony.

Since he's from New York, Rutgers is a nearby program for Anthony. The Scarlet Knights are a solid Big Ten program, and their 2024 recruiting class includes two five-star, top-five national prospects.

Regarding USC, the new head coach there is former Arkansas boss Eric Musselman. Musselman was reportedly recruiting Anthony while still leading the Razorbacks, and Musselman is known for being an excellent recruiter.

This past season, Bronny James was a freshman at Southern Cal, and he ended up getting selected in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers. James is the son of NBA superstar LeBron James, who is dear friends with Anthony's dad.

Regarding Florida State, which like Syracuse basketball is in the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Seminoles have been a bit up-and-down in recent seasons, but Leonard Hamilton is a fabulous head coach in college hoops.

Hamilton and his staff have pursued Anthony for a long time, and his first official visit, last October, was to Florida State.

Auburn, under head coach Bruce Pearl, has proven one of the top teams in the Southeastern Conference over the past couple of campaigns. Pearl led the Tigers to the 2019 Final Four, for one.

All of the squads that made Anthony's top six are impressive. Yes, currently the Orange does have some buzz in his recruitment on Rivals.com and the On3 Web site, but things can ebb and flow as he takes more visits in the coming months.

Syracuse basketball making his top six is a good first step. Now things should really start to heat up in Anthony's recruiting process, and let's see how this all pans out.