When freshman guard Kiyan Anthony arrived at Syracuse, it got plenty of hype as many saw him as a possible savior for the program, which has suffered over the last few seasons. However, he has since struggled in leading the team to victory, resulting in him getting benched against No. 18 Virginia and playing zero minutes.
He is the son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony, and he has a lot to live up to, as the NBA legend was the one who delivered the Orange their first and only national title in history, and Melo did it as a freshman. Now, that benching and struggling to live up to his father’s legacy has been a humbling experience for Kiyan Anthony, as he finally talked about not being able to play against Virginia.
“I could have easily shut down, curled into a ball, but I was just ready,” he said. “The gym was my safe and happy place for these last few days…that’s my best friend, I just go to the gym whenever I can.”
Syracuse Orange head coach Adrian Autry said that benching Kiyan Anthony was a “coach’s decision,” and the freshman has admitted that this has led him to reflect on the things he has been doing wrong.
“Sometimes, it can be hard,” Kiyan said. “Me still being 18 years old…that’s what we do, you know, look on Instagram and Twitter. First time I deleted stuff like that and just kind of stayed away from everything, locked into my family, locked into my friends.”
His father, Carmelo Anthony, was a one-and-done after leading Syracuse to a national title, but the NBA great himself is saying that he is not expecting his son to do the same and is not rushing him, saying that he wants Kiyan to take his time.
Kiyan Anthony Was Big Off the Bench In Win vs. SMU
Earlier in the season, Kiyan Anthony had been showing a lot of immaturity on the court, eventually leading to his benching. During that 79-78 win over SMU, considered to be a national contender, he showed how much he had matured since getting benched.
A majority of his points came during the second half as the freshman guard dropped 13 points on the Mustangs, nine of them coming from three-pointers. He also had three rebounds and one assist.
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