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Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
Kiyan Anthony knows better than most about his father’s legacy at Syracuse, which is one of the finalists for the No. 36 prospect and four-star recruit in the 2025 ESPN 100 rankings.
Before a decorated NBA career, Carmelo Anthony led the Orange to the 2003 national championship as a freshman. He also donated a significant sum to the school’s basketball facility, which now bears his name.
Despite those family ties, Kiyan Anthony said that his father and mother, La La Anthony, have not nudged him to pick Syracuse.
“[My father] never pushes me to go to Syracuse just because his name is on the gym,” Anthony told ESPN on Wednesday ahead of the release of the second season of “The Evolu7ion” on YouTube with Overtime. “He did so much at Syracuse. He knows that I’m my own person. I’ve just got to make my own decision at the end of the day.
“If it is Syracuse — I go there a lot and I practice, I work out there — if it is that, that’s what it is. But he’s never going to say, ‘You got to go to Syracuse. You got to go there because I went there.’ He’s not going to make me follow in his footsteps unless I really want to.”
Anthony said he will choose from his list of finalists — Syracuse, Auburn, USC, Florida State, Ohio State and Rutgers — in the next two months and he expects to take another visit to Syracuse before his final decision.
At Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, New York, Anthony’s career has been scrutinized because of family. His father is a likely Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee and his mother is an actress and celebrity with 15 million Instagram followers.
On his YouTube show, Anthony hopes to show what it’s like to face the attention he’s had since he was a child. But he also loves that his friends and teammates get a chance to share the spotlight with him.
“My friends maybe not having the same opportunities as I have, I’m the one that’s tried to bring them along with me,” Anthony said. “I don’t want to make them feel left out.”
Anthony, a 6-foot-5 guard, also said he wants to prove that he’s more than a scorer. Some of his offensive exploits, including a 15-point effort at Rucker Park in April, have gone viral, but he said he’s working on showcasing his playmaking abilities in his final high school season.
And while his connection with his father draws most of the headlines, he said his mother has also played a pivotal role in his development.
“I would say everybody sees when the cameras are on [my dad] and then they’re on me because I’m playing good, but I would say my mom does a lot more background stuff. Like, when I’m going through something or I need somebody to talk to, my mom is definitely the person,” Anthony said. “And she’s the one who really pushes me to get in the gym, even if I don’t want to. To go to school and stay on top of my grades and stuff like that.”
From the moment he picked up a basketball, Anthony was tied to the school where his father made basketball history as a one-and-done star who led the Orange to a national title over Kansas. And while he’s always thought about the possibility of becoming the next member of the Anthony family to don a Syracuse jersey, those close to him will not pressure him.
He said his next visit to Syracuse and his other finalists, however, will influence his decision. His parents will play a role as the process unfolds, he said, but they won’t decide his future.
“Even though I know basically the whole world wants me to go to Syracuse, I still haven’t made the decision yet and I still have to talk to the coaches some more and really get into detail — like what other players are coming, how they want me to play, how I’ll be coached and stuff like that,” Anthony said. “So I still have to finish up my visits, and then, ultimately, just make a decision. I will rely on my parents a lot with their advice and how they think a school fits me.”