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Kiyan Anthony returning to Syracuse to play for Gerry McNamara

joe tipton headshot updatedby: Joe Tipton04/08/26JoeTipton

Syracuse guard Kiyan Anthony will return to the Orange to play for new head coach Gerry McNamara, he told On3.

The 6-5 freshman is the son of Syracuse legend and 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony, who was teammates with McNamara on the 2003 national championship team.

Kiyan averaged 8.0 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 18.7 minutes per game this season. He shot nearly 40% from the field and 25.4% from three. He’s a former four-star recruit and was ranked No. 33 nationally in the 2024 class, per the Rivals Industry Ranking.

Syracuse concluded the season with a 15-17 overall record, finishing 14th in the ACC. Following the year, the Orange parted ways with head coach Adrian Autry. ‘Cuse went 49-48 in three seasons under Autry and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament during his tenure. The program is now in the midst of a five-year NCAA Tournament drought, having not made the Big Dance since 2021.

Program legend Gerry McNamara takes over Syracuse

On March 24, Gerry McNamara, a program legend, was named the next head coach at Syracuse. McNamara served as a longtime assistant under Hall of Fame coach Jim Boeheim before becoming the head coach at Siena in 2024. This season, he led the Saints to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2010 and nearly upset Duke in the first round. McNamara played at Syracuse from 2002-2006 and was a four-year starter. He is the program’s all-time career leader in made-pointers (400), free throw percentage (.888), and minutes played (4,799). As a freshman, McNamara hit six threes against Kansas in the title game in 2003, helping the Orange win the National Championship alongside Carmelo Anthony.

“I love this place,” McNamara said in the release. “I love what Syracuse means: to the fans, to the players who have worn this jersey, to the people of Central New York. This program has given me everything, and I am ready to give everything back to it,” says McNamara. “College basketball has changed. How you build a program, recruit talent, compete for resources and win looks different than it did even five years ago. I know that. I’m ready for it. What hasn’t changed is what Orange Nation expects, and what this place deserves. We are going to build something special here.”