Carmelo Anthony is standing firmly behind his son Kiyan Anthony following a challenging freshman season at Syracuse University, making it clear he does not view the year as a failure.
During a recent appearance on All The Smoke, Melo reflected on watching his son navigate the pressure that comes with being an 18-year-old freshman carrying one of the most recognizable names in Syracuse basketball history.
“A lot of times when I go back there for him, the player hat goes off [...] I’m in straight father mode,” Melo explained. “To see him go through or deal with his freshman year this way, I sat back and I really wanted to see how he was going to handle it.”
The former NBA star acknowledged the unique expectations surrounding Kiyan’s arrival at Syracuse, where Carmelo famously led the program to a national championship in 2003 and remains one of the school’s most iconic athletes.
“You coming into one of the biggest colleges and universities in college basketball,” Melo said. “There’s a lot of history here. Your father did it. The name is on the building. That’s stamped and etched in stone for life. So there’s a lot of pressure that comes with that.”
Despite outside criticism and conversations surrounding Kiyan’s development, Melo stressed that what his son experienced is normal for many young players adjusting to college basketball.
“To me, it wasn’t a failure year for him,” he said. “It was something that any 18-year-old kid is going to go through in college.”
Anthony also used the conversation to criticize the current state of college basketball recruiting and player development, arguing that many programs now prioritize transfers over investing patience into younger players.
“They’re not recruiting high school kids no more,” Melo said. “Unless you top two, three, four, five, you’re being overlooked anyway. They don’t think you’re mentally ready. They don’t think you’re physically ready.”
He added that too many programs prematurely decide how long players will remain in school instead of communicating and properly developing them.
“We can’t keep letting these kids get away and go transfer,” Anthony said. “Then we talk about mental health. Why the hell are you stressed out at 18 years old? You in college playing basketball.”
Throughout the interview, Melo emphasized that his biggest role was helping Kiyan stay mentally grounded while reminding him that adversity is part of the game.
“My message with him was just life,” Anthony explained. “If there’s anybody you could learn from, I did it at the highest level. I’ve dealt with every emotion possible from basketball.”
Anthony ended by expressing confidence that his son will ultimately respond positively to the criticism and expectations surrounding him.
“I know you. I believe in you,” Melo said. “Let’s get back in the lab and come back and answer all the questions everybody had.”
