Adrian Autry reveals why Kiyan Anthony did not play vs. Virginia

As Syracuse fell to Virginia on Saturday, freshman guard Kiyan Anthony did not enter the game. Afterward, Adrian Autry explained why.

Anthony entered the matchup averaging 8.9 points and 1.6 rebounds while appearing in all 23 games to date. Saturday marks his first absence of the season as he did not take his warm-up off throughout the loss to UVA.

Speaking with reporters postgame, Autry said Anthony is not dealing with an injury. It was a coach’s decision not to play him.

“No injury concerns,” Autry said in his press conference Saturday afternoon, via WAER Sports. “That was just my decision.”

Kiyan Anthony, the son of Syracuse legend Carmelo Anthony, arrived on campus this year as a four-star prospect. He was the No. 33 overall player from the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, and the No. 11-rated shooting guard.

With Saturday’s loss to Virginia, Syracuse fell to 13-11 overall on the year, including 4-7 in ACC action. The Orange have lost six of their last seven games, with the only victory coming against Notre Dame during that stretch.

Amid the struggles, the noise is growing around Autry with questions swirling around his job security. In fact, a fan – “Tyler from Binghamton” – called in to ask him about it last week during his weekly radio show before getting cut off.

“Hey, guys,” the caller started. “Red, I was just wondering, who do you think are going to be the best candidates for your job once–?”

Autry laughed it off, saying “Good job” for getting through, and show host Matt Park also acknowledged the caller’s efforts. He then joked about the reaction around the neighborhood.

“There you go, Tyler. Appreciate that,” Park said. “The neighborhood will be excited for you. … Tyler’s pretty proud of himself, so he can go enjoy himself in Binghamton or wherever he may be in ‘Trollville’ at the moment.”

After “Tyler from Binghamton’s” call, Park asked Autry about the noise around his job security. Autry responded by noting it comes with the territory of being a college basketball head coach and expressed his confidence the Orange would get on track.

“This is part of it,” Autry said. “If it was easy – this is what I want to do. This is part of it. It’s hard. It’s a challenge. But I love it. I love where I’m at, I love the guys and I love the challenge of working through it and getting this together.”