Axe: Of course Kiyan Anthony is coming to Syracuse. The question now is where to set the bar

Syracuse, N.Y. — Welcome to Syracuse, Kiyan Anthony.
So where should we set the bar now that you are locked and loaded as one of the most anticipated recruits in program history?
Here’s how Kiyan sees it.
“I want to show people what Syracuse basketball is supposed to be like,” Anthony said on Friday.
That’s a pretty telling statement from a 17-year-old with some perspective.
He picked Syracuse as the best place for him to launch a basketball career but recognizes it needs a reboot.
So what is Syracuse basketball “supposed to look like,” to steal a phrase from Kiyan?
Making the NCAA Tournament consistently (somewhere Syracuse hasn’t been for three seasons and counting) and having a presence in the polls (somewhere the Orange hasn’t been since December of 2018) are literal representations of where Syracuse is supposed to be.
Anthony’s commitment brings more than a surging top-40 talent in the Class of 2025 to Syracuse.
It brings some serious vibes to the Syracuse basketball universe.
Anthony is far from a traditional recruit, but he is a recruit. Even in the transfer portal era, landing top-rated recruits resonates.
SU’s 2025 recruiting class, which includes Sadiq White, a five-star, 6-foot-8 forward from Charlotte, North Carolina, Aaron Womack, a 6-5 guard from Milwaukee, and Luke Fennell, a 6-6 guard from Melbourne, Australia, is already impressive.
Adding Anthony makes it a force to be reckoned with, banks Adrian Autry’s job security for the foreseeable future and offers a reason to keep looking over the horizon with assurance no matter how the 2024-25 season plays out.
The decision to lean into those expectations and embrace his destiny in Orange is a choice that will grant Anthony endless goodwill from the SU fan base.
It also elicits a sigh of relief that could knock down a building from Autry and the coaching staff.
Had Anthony gone to USC instead of Syracuse and became a star — and he did say he nearly committed on a recent recruiting visit to LA — it would be the hardest of pills to swallow and something the fan base would never let you forget.
OK, but how good is he?
Anthony’s commitment instantly put Syracuse’s 2025 recruiting class into the Top 6 of the country, according to 247Sports.
There are no shortage of YouTube opinions on his game if you want to go down that wormhole, but I’ll pull out one from a conversation I had with ESPN’s Paul Biancardi on the “Syracuse Sports” podcast in September.
“He’s really come on as a scorer,” Biancardi told me. “He told me on the phone that his dad has really worked with him on his footwork. You can see it now as a rising senior.
“He scores the ball at will. His shot quality at times, sometimes you question if that was a good shot. It’s the same thing for a lot of high school players. He’ll have to dial in the shot quality as he gets older. But his ability to put big points on the board is outstanding. What I love about him, he’s got the confidence. He really believes he can score every time.”
Kiyan will be a star from Day 1 with a bounty of name, image and likeness deals awaiting the minute he steps on campus.
He’ll be a starter from Day 1 with every shot, dribble, rebound, steal, soundbite and social media post under heavy scrutiny.
Anthony’s parents, Carmelo and La La, wanted their son to forge his own path but also know the son of a Syracuse legend and future basketball Hall of Famer can’t escape the spotlight here.
“It’s big shoes to fill, but at the same time, this is his moment, his lane and his time to create his own reality,” La LA Anthony said on Friday after her son made his commitment on his father’s podcast before an audience of thousands of streaming fans.
Kiyan Anthony didn’t run from the spotlight, he’s heading full speed into it.
His father confessed on Friday “how f—ing hard it was” for him to stay quiet during the process.
Now that Kiyan has leaned in, Carmelo has this emotional message for his son.
“Don’t be afraid of it. Embrace it,” Carmelo Anthony said. “Because the guys that looked at me and watched me are not your fans. You have an opportunity to carve out a whole new fan base.
“You got a new fan base; you got energy. What you can do with that community and that university … it’s a whole ‘nother fan base and community that he’s building. He’s going to have to put his own pressure on himself.”
What is Syracuse basketball is supposed to be like?
If Kiyan can tap into that kind of passion and pride for Syracuse that oozed out of his father on Friday, he’s about to show us the way again.
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