Syracuse basketball guard Kiyan Anthony had his share of struggles as a freshman, which isn't unusual for college newbies.
The 6-foot-5, 198-pound Anthony, who hails from Brooklyn, N.Y., looks to make a sophomore leap for the Orange and first-year head coach Gerry McNamara, the former SU standout guard who won a national title in 2003 with Kiyan's dad, Syracuse basketball legend Carmelo Anthony.
Kiyan Anthony came to the Hill as a top-30 national prospect in the 2025 class. He's got talent, as longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg told Syracuse.com this week. Yet Anthony has "got to be tougher," Greenberg said. "He’s got to defend more consistently. He’s got to make good decisions in terms of shot selection. But he’s a talent."
As a freshman, Anthony averaged 18.7 minutes, 8.0 points and 1.4 rebounds per game while making 39.9 percent from the field, 25.4 percent from beyond the arc and 62.8 percent from the free-throw line.
Guard Kiyan Anthony eyes a bigger role for Syracuse basketball in the upcoming campaign.
From last season's roster, McNamara retained several players, including Anthony and sophomore power forward Sadiq White Jr., a top-30 national prospect in the 2025 cycle who is expected to be a major contributor for the 'Cuse in the 2026-27 campaign.
"The ability to keep a guy with that much upside, I think was really, really huge," Greenberg said of White.
As a freshman, the ultra-athletic White averaged 15.1 minutes, 6.1 points and 3.3 rebounds per contest. He connected on 54.7 percent from the field, 36.8 percent from downtown and 51.3 percent from the charity stripe. White's defense and rebounding will be paramount to the 'Cuse in 2026-27, but he's also a decent 3-point shooter, which should come in handy.
While it remains to be seen who will be in McNamara's starting line-up when the regular season begins in early November, I think that the 6-foot-8, 207-pound White, a native of Charlotte, N.C., will likely start at the four; Anthony might start or will be a key reserve off the bench.
Over the summer, Anthony said that if SU officials hired anyone other than McNamara to be the Orange's next head coach, he likely would have transferred to another college squad. That speaks to the relationship between Anthony and McNamara, and the trust that the sophomore guard has in his new head coach.
Greenberg noted that Anthony is "wired to score." Hopefully, Melo's son takes a sophomore leap that includes more efficient shooting, less dribbling in half-court offensive sets, and better defense and rebounding.
Add us as a preferred source on Google