Kiyan Anthony commits to Syracuse, following in Carmelo’s footsteps

Kiyan Anthony will follow in his famous father’s footsteps.
Kiyan, the son of NBA great Carmelo Anthony and the No. 1-ranked high school player in New York State, committed to Syracuse on Friday night, choosing the school his father famously led to the 2003 NCAA championship in his one-and-done year in college. Carmelo has been a big supporter of his former school and the practice facility there is called the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center.
Ranked the No. 6 shooting guard nationally by 247Sports.com, he also listed Auburn and USC. He previously considered Rutgers, among other schools.
“I just like the atmosphere [at Syracuse],” he told ZAGSBLOG this summer. “You know, obviously my dad went there 20 something years ago, so I just like the atmosphere, I like the family environment. The coaches, I feel like they’re recruiting me for myself, and not just because of my father. That’s what I like. I just feel like they’re rebuilding, and they’re looking to get a winning team. I feel like I can help them do that if I was to go there.”
Kiyan picked up a scholarship offer from former Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim back in 2022, and he and his dad first visited then.
“It was beautiful because I know how much it meant to him,” Carmelo told ESPN in 2022. “Of course, it means a lot to me. But this is his journey, his journey it’s not going to be my journey and his path is not going to be my path. So whatever he want to do, I just want him to enjoy it.”
Kiyan has since developed a relationship with current head coach Adrian Autry and his staff, and visited campus again in 2023.
“Yeah, its building,” he said this summer. “Definitely with [assistant]coach Brenden [Straughn] from Syracuse, that’s really my main outlet of communication. But with Coach Autry, he’s starting to reach out to me on a daily basis and really trying to recruit me. He’s been at all my games so far, so just trying to build that relationship with him.”
A prolific scorer, Kiyan averaged 19.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this summer with Team Melo on the Nike EYBL circuit.
At the prestigious NBA Top 100 Camp, he poured in 42 points on 15-of-28 shooting, including 4-of-9 shooting from deep, in his first game. He went on to lead the camps in scoring by averaging 28.5 points over eight games.
Said USA Basketball youth coach Don Showalter: “Kiyan has a great personality and is extremely coachable. His strengths are shooting with range, scoring at all three levels, and [he’s] a natural scorer. He can get his own shot almost at will. Kiyan has also demonstrated he can be a very good defender on and off the ball.”
Added Team Melo coach Jerard Rucker: “It was a pleasure coaching Kiyan this past EYLB season and watching his growth since 8th grade. He has grown into a 3-level scorer and flat out shoots the ball effortlessly. The way he dissects and manipulates the defense is incredible to watch. He will be special at the next level because he is a gym rat and sponge when it comes to improving. The sky’s the Limit for Kiy.”
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Adam Zagoria is a freelance reporter who covers Seton Hall and NJ college basketball for NJ Advance Media. You may follow him on Twitter @AdamZagoria and check out his Website at ZAGSBLOG.com.