Syracuse basketball’s Kiyan Anthony grabs attention with big declaration on future

Syracuse guard Kiyan Anthony announced Wednesday on Instagram that he will return to the Orange for his sophomore season, declaring his commitment to “The Right Way.”

The 6-foot-5 wing, son of SU legend Carmelo Anthony, averaged 8.0–8.4 points per game on 39.9% shooting during his freshman year while appearing in 29 of Syracuse’s 32 games, including two starts. He recorded a career-high 19 points against Delaware State on November 8, 2025, and had 11 double-digit scoring performances over the season.

Anthony’s freshman campaign was uneven. He averaged 22.9 minutes per game in the first 12 contests but saw his role shrink to 15.9 minutes per game in 16 Atlantic Coast Conference matchups. He was benched in a February loss to Virginia and did not play in the Orange final two games, a regular-season loss to Pittsburgh and the ACC tournament defeat to SMU, due to injury. Syracuse finished 15-17 overall and 6-12 in ACC play, its first back-to-back losing seasons since 1968-69.

Anthony’s return is a huge offseason win for new head coach Gerry McNamara, hired on March 24 to replace Adrian Autry. Since McNamara’s arrival, six players, including standouts Donnie Freeman and Naithan George, have entered the NCAA transfer portal. McNamara has already secured commitments from two former Siena players, 6-5 guard Gavin Doty and 6-10 center Tasman Goodrick, and freshman forward Sadiq White Jr. also confirmed his return on Wednesday.

With Anthony coming back, the Orange retains a core group of players as it prepares to rebuild under McNamara’s leadership.

The post Syracuse basketball’s Kiyan Anthony grabs attention with big declaration on future appeared first on ClutchPoints.