Fresh-picked Orange: Melo's son Kiyan tabs Cuse

Kiyan Anthony, Carmelo Anthony's son and a top-40 recruit in the class of 2025, announced Friday he is following in his father's footsteps and committing to Syracuse.

Anthony made the announcement on his father's "7PM in Brooklyn" show.

He chose the Orange over a final list that also included USC and Auburn. Syracuse had understandably been the longtime favorite, but he went through a legitimate recruitment, taking official visits to Florida State as a junior and USC two months ago.

"Ultimately, it came down to my relationship with the staff," Anthony told ESPN. "From Day 1, when they started recruiting me, they made me feel like it was family. 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."

While his father's connection to the school was a huge factor in his recruitment, Kiyan also developed his own strong relationship with coach Adrian Autry.

"I'm going to do everything Coach Autry needs me to do," he 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."

Carmelo Anthony was a 10-time NBA All-Star and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team back in 2021, scoring more than 28,000 career points in the NBA. During his one season at Syracuse in 2003, he led the Orange to the national championship as a freshman, earning All-American and NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors.

For better or worse, Kiyan was compared to his father from a young age.

"The struggle was real, especially in middle school and my freshman year in high school," he said. "I didn't know what I was doing then, but I started listening to my dad. I trusted his words, established a routine and began to change into my own player. The biggest difference between me and my dad is that he was a straight-up bucket, a straight-up bully. He could score on you at will. I have scoring ability and I can create for others."

A 6-foot-5 shooting guard ranked No. 36 in the ESPN 100 out of Long Island Lutheran, Anthony is one of the best pure scorers in the country. He averaged 19.6 points on the Nike EYBL circuit in the spring, scoring 25 or more points in four of 15 games. He was even more prolific at the Nike Peach Jam over the summer, averaging 21.8 points and shooting 37.3% from 3-point range in eight games -- including a 40-point outing against the Mac Irvin Fire when he shot 15-for-19 from the field and 5-for-6 from 3.

"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."

"Kiyan has been a joy to coach," Long Island Lutheran coach John Buck said. "He is hard working, eager to learn and has developed into a strong leader here at LuHi. His gift for scoring the ball is undeniable, yet he has shown great improvement on the defensive end of the floor as well. I'm proud of his growth and know that his best basketball is still in front of him."

Anthony's commitment could vault Syracuse into the top 10 recruiting classes nationally. Anthony joins five-star forward Sadiq White, one of the elite athletes in high school basketball, three-star wing Aaron Womack and Australia native Luke Fennell in the Orange's incoming group.

"When I think of Syracuse basketball, I think of the 30,000 fans going crazy in the Dome," Anthony said. "We want to give Syracuse basketball our best. With Sadiq White and the rest of my teammates, we'll put on a show for the fans at Syracuse."