Syracuse basketball’s season is off to an… interesting start to say the least. The record reads 2-0, but beating Le Moyne and Colgate by a combined six points isn’t something to write home about. Aside from that, the biggest moment of SU basketball’s season might just be something that has nothing to do with the on-court play this Friday.
Four-star recruit Kiyan Anthony is down to two teams: Syracuse and USC. The long-awaited decision will come this Friday night at 7 p.m. on his father, and Syracuse legend Carmelo’s “7 PM In Brooklyn” podcast.
Now you might not be happy with me for saying this, but I just don’t see a world where Kiyan chooses Syracuse. The storyline is there, for the child of a legend of the university to come in and achieve what his father did. But that exact thing is what’s deterring me away from the idea.
Throughout the recruitment process, Kiyan Anthony’s biggest ask was for a program that didn’t want him just because he was Carmelo’s son. Anthony has been on record saying that Adrian Autry and company do make him feel that way, but let’s be honest here. If Kiyan Anthony were to choose SU, the amount of pressure that would come with that would be insurmountable for an 18-year-old trying to go to the NBA. Every mistake that Anthony makes would be talked about and would be compared to his dad, and that’s just not a recipe for success. We’re already starting to see this with Donnie Freeman, who’s been billed as the best recruit since Carmelo and hasn’t lived up to it through two games.
Now say he were to choose USC, that pressure isn’t as great. Yes, it would bring him more national recognition, but that would be strictly for his play rather than being Carmelo’s son. Honestly, in a world of social media, Anthony would probably shine brighter on a USC team than a Syracuse one trying to find a new identity post-Boeheim. Honestly, if Boeheim was still SU’s coach I think Kiyan would’ve been a lock. I’ve seen some comparisons of Kiyan to Bronny James, and that’s a little outlandish. But, Bronny did end up in the league after a year at USC. Syracuse hasn’t had a player drafted since 2020.
I could be very wrong on this, and we all hope Kiyan is in orange next season. But a decision like this really makes you wonder if Syracuse is still a top destination for basketball recruits like it used to be. I and everyone else in the 315 will be staring at Twitter come seven on Friday, prayers up.
