As Kiyan Anthony gets set to play for Gerry McNamara for the first time, his father reflected on his lone season under Adrian Autry.
On the surface, Kiyan Anthony had a very up-and-down freshman season on the Syracuse men's basketball team.
The son of Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony undoubtedly had big expectations when he enrolled, and though he had big moments, the year was a struggle at times, mirroring the struggles of the entire program.
The Orange went 15-17, missing the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight season, ultimately firing head coach Adrian Autry at the conclusion of the campaign.
Kiyan Anthony appeared in 29 games, seeing significant minutes in the non-conference and more irregular minutes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) season. He averaged 8.0 ppg and 1.4 rebounds while shooting 39.9 percent from the floor and 25.4 percent from three. He shot 62.8 percent at the foul line.
Heading into 2026-27, it's clear that Kiyan needs to work on his physique: He needs to be strong enough to rebound, to play defense on wing players, and to get to the basket offensively. He also needs to become more consistent with his outside shot.
If he does those things, he could be a dynamic force for new head coach Gerry McNamara, who played with Carmelo when they won the national championship together at Syracuse in 2003.
Speaking on the "All the Smoke" podcast with Matt Barnes recently, Carmelo spoke about Kiyan's first year, saying that he doesn't view it as a failure and that he views it as typical freshman season experiences. He also said that he believes in his son and that his son can lean on his own experiences as he navigates this journey. Speaking as as a supportive father, he also said that Kiyan was going to work hard this offseason and answer any questions that people had.
Videos of a beefed up Kiyan have also surfaced online, suggesting he's put on 10 pounds of weight already.
Under McNamara, Syracuse has been building a solid group of wing players, so Anthony will have some competition for playing time. Gavin Doty has joined McNamara from Siena while Aidan Tobiason has the ability to play shooting guard at 6-foot-5, but maybe also some small forward in different lineups.
Also on campus
Congratulations are in order for former Syracuse men's soccer standout Miles Robinson, who was named to the final version of the US Men's National Team on Tuesday. This means that Robinson will represent the United States at the FIFA World Cup this summer.
He helped Syracuse advance to the Final Four in 2015 where they lost to Clemson. SU also got to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2016. Robinson left after his sophomore year.
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