Kiyan Anthony is playing a key role this season for the No. 3-ranked team in the National Top 10
Long Island Lutheran (Brookville, N.Y.), averaging 10.3 points, 2.4 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals per contest. And he's done it while managing the pressures of being the son of a future hall of famer in Carmelo Anthony.
"Definitely a lot of pressure, you know there is automatically
going to be a lot more eyes on you just because your name and who you
are so if you live up to it then you do, but if you don't people are
going to criticize you in whatever you do," Kiyan said. "If
you score 20 they want you to score 30, if you score two points they
want you to score 10 so you just have to stop listening to them at that
point and focus on your game."
Although the 6-foot-5 shooting guard is far from a finished product on the court, he is currently regarded as the No. 60 prospect in the Class of 2025 overall according to
247Sports.
Four-star junior Kiyan Anthony has played a key role for Long Island Lutheran this season. (Photo: Eugene Alonzo)
When asked about his strengths, Anthony pointed to his versatility.
"All these top-ranked people, they get by having a
lot of athleticism but they can't defend or they can't shoot or nothing
like that," Anthony said. "So I feel like I am really a three-level scorer, even though
I don't jump out of the gym like most people do who are highly-ranked,
but I can really get to my spots."
Anthony is shooting 57.4 percent from inside the arc, 29.2 percent from 3-point range
and 77.8 percent from the free throw line this season. He has shown flashes of his elite potential.
He popped for a career-high 25 points on 10 of 14 from the field in Long Island Lutheran's home opener in December. More recently, he recorded 17 points, four assists, three rebounds and two
blocked shots in a 74-58 victory over Eagle Academy II (Brooklyn).
Kiyan Anthony is averaging 10.3 points, 2.4 assists and 2.3 rebounds per contest for LuHi this season. (Photo: Eugene Alonzo)
The four-star junior spent the first half of his sophomore season at Christ the King (Middle Village) before transferring to Long Island Lutheran in search. He cited a higher level of competition and exposure as the reasons for making the move.
"I feel like I did make the right decision and I am happy where I'm at right now," Anthony said. "I'm still a junior so I still have another year and a half to play with LuHi so I'm excited for that."
The high level of competition continues this weekend with games against National Top 10 No. 4 Link Academy (Branson, Mo.) and MaxPreps Top 25 No. 7 Gonzaga (Washington, D.C.).
Long Island Lutheran has a record of 13-2 overall and 4-1 in Nike EYBL Scholastic play. Anthony is averaging 8.2 points, 2.8 assists and 2.0 rebounds per contest in five EYBL Scholastic games.
Carmelo Anthony has become a full-time basketball dad since retiring from the NBA. He can be seen sitting courtside at his son's games with Long Island Lutheran and on the club circuit with Team Melo. In his retirement speech, Carmelo said that his legacy lives through his son.
10-time NBA all-star Carmelo Anthony sits courtside at the Spalding Hoophall Classic during his son's game. (Photo: Lonnie Webb)
