Syracuse Basketball: Melo's showcase pits 4-star Kiyan Anthony vs. 5-star Jordan Smith

This coming Saturday in the Baltimore area, Syracuse basketball legend and long-time NBA star Carmelo Anthony will host his third-annual showcase known as A Very Melo Classic.

Some of the top high school programs along the east coast will be on hand for this event, which will take place at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Md.

Among the teams participating is Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y. Anthony's son, Orange 2025 four-star commit Kiyan Anthony, is a standout senior at Long Island Lutheran, which on February 1 will battle one of the premier programs from the Washington, D.C., region, whose roster includes a Syracuse basketball 2026 priority recruiting target.

All in all, this should prove a fun showcase on Saturday, and 'Cuse hoops recruiting enthusiasts will enjoy some of the match-ups at A Very Melo Classic.

Syracuse basketball recruiting ties at Carmelo Anthony's upcoming showcase.

On Saturday, beginning at 7:30 pm, Long Island Lutheran will face St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., which is led by 2026 five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr. The Orange staff is recruiting Smith hard these days. He unofficially visited the 'Cuse last September.

Besides Kiyan Anthony, Long Island Lutheran's 2024-25 roster includes 2026 five-star point guard Dylan Mingo and 2027 four-star wing/forward Moussa Kamissoko. Syracuse basketball is showing an interest in Mingo and offered a scholarship to Kamissoko in late December of last year.

In the latest national top-25 team rankings from MaxPreps and ESPN, St. Paul VI resides inside the top 20 overall. ESPN currently places Long Island Lutheran at No. 9 around the country.

Earlier on Saturday, starting at 2:15 pm, Mount Saint Joseph High School in Baltimore will suit up versus Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md.

Two standouts at Bishop McNamara are 2026 five-star wing Qayden Samuels and 2026 five-star guard Prince-Alexander Moody. Both hold scholarship offers from the Orange coaching staff.

Recent media reports indicate that Samuels may look to visit the 'Cuse soon. Moody, in late August of 2023, took an unofficial visit to the Hill to compete in the annual Syracuse basketball Elite Camp.

Bishop McNamara and St. Paul VI, by the way, each play in one of the top high school basketball leagues around the nation, the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference ("WCAC").

I'll certainly keep tabs on how these enticing encounters go on Saturday at Melo's event in the Baltimore area.