Kiyan Anthony’s commitment is a sign of things to come.
Syracuse, N.Y.— One of the most intriguing recruiting storylines this season has been the recruitment of Kiyan Anthony, the son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony. From the day Syracuse University offered him a scholarship back in November 2022 to the day he committed in November 2024, the young athlete has been the subject of year-round coverage.
The people who have kept a close eye on his recruitment status from the start must be feeling quite surreal. But a bigger question looms in the aftermath of Kiyan Anthony’s commitment.
Will Kiyan contribute to another Syracuse Championship?
How will he fit on a Coach Autry-led team?
What number will Kiyan Anthony wear?
What coffee shop will he like the most?
While all these questions are good ones…
Well, maybe not the last one. The most important question that has continued to swirl inside my mind is.
Is Kiyan Anthony’s commitment a sign of things to come?
Coach Autry took over the Syracuse Men’s Basketball team in March 2023. In his first recruiting class as the head coach of the Orange, he brought in the 247Sports 15th nationally ranked player and second-ranked power forward in the country Donnie Freeman. The five-star player was accompanied by the fourth-best player out of the state of New York, four-star Elijah “Choppa” Moore. Coach Autry didn’t stop there as he hit the transfer portal as hard as a Fadil Diggs fourth down stop. The additions of Lucas Taylor, Jaquan Carlos, Jyare Davis, and Eddie Lampkin were all four-star transfer portal reinforcements coming in to stabilize a recruiting class that would rank as the 26th overall in the country and the fourth-best in the ACC. Which only placed Syracuse behind the historically great ACC recruiting teams of Duke, UNC, and Miami.
If that wasn’t enough of a dopamine hit for the Orange fandom this recruiting class has been just as great. Coach Autry has brought in four-star combo guard Sadiq White Jr, four-star Luke Fennell, and three-star Aaron Womack. All three players committed before the big news dropped on November 15. To the excitement of the Cuse faithful, that was the announcement of Kiyan Anthony’s commitment to Syracuse. So far the 2025 recruiting class ranks seventh nationally and third in the ACC, right behind Duke and Notre Dame. While there are still months for players to commit to other programs and the transfer portal has yet to get rolling. Coach Autry has shown a keen ability to drive this truck and this 16-wheeler is full of hype. Last year’s transfer class proves that Coach Autry will evaluate next year’s roster and use the transfer portal to address any roster holes.
So to triangulate back to the most important question and not the one about coffee.
Is Kiyan Anthony’s commitment a sign of things to come?
The too-long; didn’t read answer is, “It sure seems like it.” The evidence for this optimistic conclusion is the history of Men’s College Basketball’s best recruiters today. To start let’s take a look at Nate Oats, the coach of Alabama’s basketball team. Coach Oats first recruiting class was in 2020. That recruiting class ended up being the 12th-ranked recruiting class. The next year in 2021 Coach Oats brought in the 14th-ranked recruiting class and two of the next three recruiting classes after those were top-five recruiting classes. A year before Nate Oats was hired Coach Dan Hurley got the UConn job. In 2019 Coach Hurley brought in a five-star power forward and two four-star players before he would get the 24th-ranked class of 2020. Coach Hurley would then cruise to bring in three top-ten classes in his next four years. If you want to look into the ACC itself, you don’t have to look any further than UNC and Head Coach Hubert Davis. Coach Davis brought in the nationally ranked 13th-best recruiting class of 2022. Coach Davis would maintain rhythm and bring in the 15th-ranked recruiting class the next season before landing the fifth-best recruiting class of 2024.
So why did I throw a textbook at you and give a history lesson?
Coach Autry shares a common trait with many of these great recruiters. Coach Autry and the coaches named earlier have a tendency to build upon great recruiting classes. Carrying the momentum of one high-ranked commit or recruit to attract others and build a roster that can be developed. Also, every one of these coaches mentioned has been successful in the transfer portal.
To the fans, players, and coaches the future of Syracuse Men’s Basketball is optimistic. More optimistic than when you find $20 in an old pair of pants. More optimistic than when you find a penny on heads. More optimistic than having a warm day in November. More optimistic than the coffee shop that Kiyan might endorse and more optimistic than me when you click on and fully read this encyclopedia of an article.
On the days after one of the most intriguing commitments that has breathed some optimism in Syracuse just like the commitments of Donnie Freeman, Elijah Moore, Sadiq White Jr., and every recruit that has taken their talents to the Orange, what is there not to be happy about for Syracuse Men’s Basketball. It may not be December, but optimism has been a gift for this November.