After Carmelo’s ‘SMFH,’ Kiyan Anthony accepts role amid Syracuse struggles
Hours after Carmelo Anthony’s “SMFH” Instagram comment, Kiyan Anthony said he’s “super OK” with his role at Syracuse. Leonardo Eriman | Senior Staff Photographer
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CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Kiyan Anthony said Monday night that he’s “super OK” with his role at Syracuse, even hours after his father, Carmelo Anthony, showed displeasure by commenting “SMFH” — shorthand for “shaking my f—ing head” — on a Syracuse men’s basketball Instagram post.
In many ways, the 2002-03 Orange that Carmelo led to the program’s first national championship as a freshman is vastly different from the 2025-26 Orange. While this year’s iteration also features an Anthony, he comes off the bench, and SU is gearing toward its fifth consecutive season missing the NCAA Tournament.
Kiyan entered his freshman campaign saying he was focused on adding to Carmelo’s legacy while building his own name. While his highlights have made him one of the most famous players in college basketball, he’s played over 20 minutes just once in Atlantic Coast Conference play as Syracuse (13-10, 4-6 ACC) has dropped five of its last six games.
“It’s nothing personal,” Kiyan said of his role after SU fell to No. 14 North Carolina. “It’s no hard feelings. The business is business at the end of the day. So if that’s what it got to be, then that’s what it got to be. But we definitely gotta do a better job of executing.”
Kiyan Anthony shot a middling 3-for-10 and scored 10 points in Syracuse’s 10-point loss at No. 14 North Carolina Monday. Leonardo Eriman | Senior Staff Photographer
Execution applies to the Orange as a whole, but also to Kiyan. Among 156 players in the ACC, Kiyan’s -0.74 EvanMiya Bayesian Performance Rating ranks 151st. He’s also Syracuse’s only player with a negative offensive and defensive BPR.
Meanwhile, his 49.4% true shooting percentage is the worst on SU despite him commanding the second-highest %shots (26.0%) clip. This means Kiyan is taking a large share of shots while being highly inefficient — he’s averaging 8.9 points on 7.2 field goals per game across 19.3 minutes.
For comparison, Carmelo averaged 22.2 points on 17.5 field goals while playing 36.4 minutes across his transcendent one-and-done campaign before becoming a Basketball Hall of Famer.
Though scoring — like his father — is unquestionably Kiyan’s best trait, he’s shooting 41.6% from the field, 23.3% on 3-pointers and 61.2% from the free throw line.
It’s important to note Carmelo was the No. 2 prospect in his recruiting class, while Kiyan was a late bloomer, who ranked 32nd in his class. Expectations for Kiyan — or virtually any other freshman — to be like Carmelo right away were unrealistic.
Still, Kiyan has had spurts of being a high-impact player — especially to start the year, when he received an uptick in playing time after J.J. Starling suffered an injury. Kiyan scored 52 points across his first three games, but once Starling returned and his playing time went down, he scored 56 points over his next seven games.
“In the beginning season with J.J. going down, more of an opening for me, more of an opportunity for me, and I feel like I executed that well,” Kiyan said. “And then just getting moved to the bench, trying to find a way to stay in when I go in.”
Kiyan understands that he’s playing behind seniors in Starling and Nate Kingz, and he recognizes that they’re playing their last few collegiate games down the stretch.
Beyond the veterans he plays alongside, Kiyan emphasized that he’s playing against senior and fifth-year guards who are high-level and physical. It’s why he says he’s trying to improve his physicality, though he noted he feels he’s doing a good job.
“I feel like I adjusted quite well,” Anthony said. “And I feel like (I’m) just trying to stay out (on the court) while I’m out there.”
Kiyan acknowledged the Orange’s ball movement issues postgame against the Tar Heels, saying they need to do a better job finding a balance. However, he does feel he should continue to have the ball in his hands.
“I don’t think it’s like five or six people that really need the ball in their hands, but definitely like two or three that we get the ball to, myself included,” Kiyan said.
Unlike Carmelo, Kiyan isn’t a bona fide one-and-done prospect. In October, he said he wanted to spend one or two years at SU before jumping to the NBA.
For now, he’s fighting for minutes and navigating a freshman learning curve as the Orange struggle through conference play and displeasure surrounds the program.
