Rising basketball star Kiyan Anthony is officially off to Syracuse. The 17-year-old guard from Long Island Lutheran made his final decision on Friday after narrowing his choices to Syracuse, USC and Auburn. In the end, Anthony chose to follow in the footsteps of his father Carmelo Anthony, who led Syracuse to a national championship in 2003.
While father’s connection to the school played a key factor, Anthony said there was a lot to like about Syracuse.
“Ultimately, it came down to my relationship with the staff,” Anthony told ESPN. “From day one, when they started recruiting me, they made me feel like it was family.”
In recent years, Anthony especially built a strong relationship with Syracuse head coach Adrian Autry.
“I’m going to do everything Coach Autry needs me to do,” Anthony said. “We talk a lot, especially late at night, about how we can make Syracuse basketball great. Off the court, Coach is super cool. You could go out with him on a Friday night. He’s still young and connects with all his players; he is very relatable.”
Anthony, who is set to graduate from Long Island Lutheran High School in New York in 2025, is currently a top 40 recruit in his class. He is also the No. 36-ranked guard in the ESPN 100. Much like his father, Anthony has built a reputation as one of the best scorers in the country. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard averaged 19.6 points on the Nike EYBL circuit earlier this year. He also averaged 21.8 points at the Nike Peach Jam during the summer while shooting 37.3% from 3-point range in eight games. Still, the young star is focused on making improvements to his game.
“I need to improve my efficiency, not take too many dribbles to get somewhere and be a better defender off the ball,” he said. “I feel like I’m getting better as a defender because I practice against some of the best players in the country, like Kayden Mingo, Dylan Mingo and Nigel James. We play a national schedule. I’m up for the challenge of covering the other team’s perimeter players.”
Anthony of course has big shoes to fill as he follows in the footsteps of his father, a 10-time NBA All-Star who scored more than 28,000 career points and became named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team. However, the young man is determined to create a name for himself as embarks on his next chapter at Syracuse.
“My dad’s name on the facility is special, but I want to go in there and create my own name, and I’ve already done that through my dedication in the offseason, with early-morning practices, playing at camps, playing on the circuit,” he said.
