"You know only one could stay": Carmelo Anthony's son Kiyan Anthony reveals his much-awaited college decision

By Kayode Akinwumi

Modified Nov 15, 2024 23:57 GMT

Four-star shooting guard Kiyan Anthony has committed to Syracuse, following in the footsteps of his father, Carmelo Anthony. Kiyan chose the Orange over Auburn and USC, his final three options announced in October. He announced his choice, pointing out the obvious difficulty in sieving all the offers he got.

“At the end of the day, you know only one could stay," he said. "And with that being said, I'll be coming to Syracuse University.” (25:46)

How Kiyan Anthony cut down his college offers

Many could have predicted Kiyan Anthony's choice based on several factors. His father played a role in the program's 2003 National Championship triumph. Furthermore, he is an in-state prospect and the highest-ranked. No prospect from New York was rated better or ranked higher in the 2025 class than Kiyan. So it followed that he would play for New York's elite college basketball program.

However, Kiyan’s dad, Carmelo Anthony, reiterated that his involvement in his son's recruitment was minimal, and the ultimate decision came from him. Notwithstanding, he was at the press announcement to support his son and set the stage for him. He said:

“Me and mom, we were backed out of it. We completely backed out of it in a sense of no pressure and had no side conversations. It was listening to him, understanding what's going on as we gave him all the information and the intel.” (25:29)

Kiyan described the journey to his final decision, from how he had to sort out the offers he received to narrow down his options. He said:

“I started getting all of these offers and college coaches recruit me and stuff like that. So it was hard, like, just narrowing down, first I cut it to 10, and then six and then three and now two.” (25:53)

It was a tough choice between his last two options. But it was a decision he had to make. He added:

“So just going through pros and cons of every school and now finally cut into two. So one gotta go, feel me so the way between USC and Syracuse?” (26:45)

With his college decision made, Kiyan Anthony can focus on his senior high school season, getting to make his final impact as a high school talent.