Kiyan Anthony’s commitment, what it means for Syracuse in the ACC?

Last Friday on Carmelo Anthony’s ‘7PM in Brooklyn’ podcast show, his son Kiyan Anthony, announced that he would be following in his father’s footsteps, and head to Syracuse to continue his basketball journey.

There were people who thought Anthony wouldn’t pursue in his father’s footsteps, but he ultimately chose otherwise.

A four-star recruit, the No. 36 player in the 2025 class, and the No. 1-ranked player in the state of New York according to ESPN, Anthony had offers from schools such as Rutgers, Ohio State, USC, Auburn, and Florida State, but decided to commit to Syracuse.

This signing shows Syracuse and their attempts to get back to the success they had in the 2000s when they were able to hoist the national title with Carmelo Anthony.

Signing five-star freshman Donavan Freeman's last recruiting cycle was the beginning of the construction of a team that can recruit at the top of the class annually and hopefully compete for conference and national titles.

With this commitment, the question is if Freeman may stay another year and chase a tournament run with Anthony, which could prove to be a young, dynamic college duo.

Junior guard J.J. Starling, who is averaging 21.3 points per game, could stay another year after this season too, and learning from him will allow Anthony to take off once he’s given the keys.

Anthony wanted to compete at the highest level of college basketball and in the ACC where Syracuse will have to face teams like Duke and North Carolina, it will only benefit him in the long run.

He has great potential and should grow into his body more as he develops. Being around the game of basketball his entire life, he’s been granted the best support a high school player, hoping to reach the NBA could ask for.

We’ve seen recently where sons of NBA legends reach the league. Players like Bronny James, Scottie Pippen Jr., Gary Payton II, Tim Hardaway Jr., the list goes on, and let’s just say they haven’t lived up to their father's talent.

Feeling like they have to live up to their father’s standards is what makes it difficult for sons of NBA legends to succeed, however, Carmelo has insisted that Kiyan should focus on fully developing at Syracuse before jumping to the NBA.

He doesn’t want his son to feel the pressure even though his No. 15 jersey is hanging in the rafters at Syracuse, reflecting the support Kiyan has.

After his commitment decision on the podcast, Carmelo congratulated Kiyan telling him he was proud he made a decision that in the eyes of many would seem like the most pressured path.

Kiyan's commitment to Syracuse illustrates him embracing the pressure while still looking to pave a new path in Syracuse's basketball history.

Syracuse Orange is on the verge of building something special as they attempt to get back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2021, and Anthony should help reconstruct what could be a great program for years to come.

Owen Daszko is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email opd5073@psu.edu.