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What Kiyan Anthony has learned through Syracuse’s nonconference slate

What Kiyan Anthony has learned through Syracuse’s nonconference slate

Kiyan Anthony ranks third on Syracuse with 10.9 points per game. In his first 13 college basketball games, Anthony learned how to buy into his role. Eli Schwartz | Asst. Photo Editor

By Justin GirshonSenior Staff Writer

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Kiyan Anthony wore a navy pair of AirPods Max above his ears, sat in a chair in Syracuse’s locker room and placed a pizza box underneath his seat following his 15-point collegiate debut. A boom microphone hovered above as he was surrounded by TV cameras and half a dozen reporters.

At this point, Anthony is used to it. He’s had media attention around him his whole life. But the 18-year-old acknowledges this isn’t the same.

“I mean,” Anthony said after scoring 19 points in his first college start the next game, “college is a little bit different. There’s attention everywhere you go; it’s all day.”

It’s why Anthony — who, after any given game, can generate millions of social media views — knows he can’t have any slip-ups. But as a freshman, mistakes are bound to happen on the court. And through 13 nonconference games, Anthony experienced ups and downs in his first learning curve heading into Syracuse’s (9-4) Atlantic Coast Conference slate.

Averaging 10.9 points in 22.1 minutes per game while shooting 44.6% from the field, the shooting guard said he learned he could compete. However, Anthony explained his biggest challenge was buying into his role and accepting it.

As head coach Adrian Autry potentially coaches for his job and the Orange try to snap their longest NCAA Tournament drought in over five decades, how well Anthony plays his role could help define the season.

“I’m doing a good job throughout these last three or four games to find my way,” Anthony said after SU defeated Northeastern on Dec. 20. “Come in the game, get right to it and be productive for whatever my team needs.”

It’s a far different role than his father — Carmelo Anthony — had when he joined the Orange as a freshman in 2002. Rated the No. 2 prospect in his class, Carmelo instantly became SU’s best player en route to a transcendent one-and-done season that led to the program’s first national championship.

Twenty-three years after his father, Anthony entered Syracuse knowing he was talented, but not knowing how — or how much — he’d be used. In October, he said he expected to spend one or two seasons with the Orange before moving on to the NBA.

Because of J.J. Starling’s injury in the season opener, the freshman was quickly thrust into a key role, averaging nearly 29 minutes per game while averaging 11 field goal attempts across SU’s first three games. After the Orange’s 30-point win over Drexel that moved them to 3-0, Anthony’s 18 points sparked discussion about whether he should be a first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

But once Starling returned against Monmouth, Anthony hit his first lull. He moved back to a reserve role after starting in Starling’s place, and saw his points (17.3 to 7.3), minutes (28.7 to 20.5) and field goal attempts (11.0 to 8.0) per game decrease drastically over his ensuing six games.

“He was, in a way, like, ‘I’ve been playing good, I don’t want to come off the bench,’ but he had to do it for the team,” said Mekai Vazquez, Anthony’s cousin who is also a freshman at SU. “So he adjusted to it, he adjusted to it quick and now he’s playing his role, playing as a sixth man, doing what he needs to do.”

Four of the six games were Quad 1 opportunities, with three coming during the Players Era Festival and the fourth when SU upset Tennessee at home.

Though Anthony’s struggles persisted in Syracuse’s next game against Saint Joseph’s, he bounced back two days later with a 12-point performance against Hofstra — his best game since his 18-point performance against Drexel nearly a month before. Anthony even had the ball in his hands with the game on the line, which resulted in a controversial no-call as his missed drive to the basket was Syracuse’s last possession in its upset loss.

As the Orange re-entered the win column with wins over Mercyhurst and Northeastern, Anthony continued stacking strong performances together. The freshman scored another dozen points versus the Lakers before pouring in 18 against the Huskies.

“I never questioned the decisions that (the coaches) made because, ultimately, this is their program, and they make the final decision,” Anthony said postgame after defeating Northeastern. “More so, my struggle was buying into it and really accepting it and just saying, it is what it is, and just doing what I could do.

“And I feel like those last three or four or five games, I really accepted it and just bought into that role.”

Then Anthony proceeded to play a season-low 12 minutes against Stonehill in a 29-point victory on Dec. 22 to round out the Orange’s nonconference schedule. When reflecting on Anthony and freshman Sadiq White Jr. postgame, Autry said he knows he can trust the duo come ACC play because “​​they’ve played against some of the best teams in the country.”

Kiyan Anthony dribbles around a Delaware State defender. Despite mostly coming off the bench, Anthony leads SU with 142 total points in his freshman season. Avery Magee | Photo Editor

With Anthony finishing his first semester of college, Vazquez noted that — even while joking that Anthony didn’t have perfect attendance — he passed all his classes and he’s attending them more often than he did in high school. On the court, Vazquez has seen strides and consistency.

“He’s probably gotten more confident, but he’s always shown that he’s confident,” Vazquez said. “His demeanor hasn’t changed. He stays cool, calm, collected, and just does what he does.”

As the Orange enter conference play, they’ll need Anthony to step up as a consistent scorer off the bench. Beyond his scoring inconsistency, Anthony has struggled shooting from beyond the arc (23.1%) and from the charity stripe (57.9%).

Those issues contributed to Anthony having a “C+” offensive BPR grade, per EvanMiya, which ranks eighth on the Orange despite his 10.9 points per game ranking third.

“I think as a freshman, a lot of the struggle is to come in, find your way and try to find a groove,” Anthony said. “But I tapped into my groove early, and I feel like just staying consistent is the main thing for me.”

Nonconference play allowed Anthony to figure out college basketball. Now, as ACC play looms, the next test is whether he can efficiently give SU a lift off the bench.

The spotlight will inevitably remain on Anthony. But as conference play begins — and with Autry potentially coaching for his job — the margin for error will shrink, and how Anthony plays within his role could help shape Syracuse’s season.

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Published on December 30, 2025 at 9:38 pm
Contact Justin: justingirshon@gmail.com | @JustinGirshon

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