Syracuse Basketball's Kiyan Anthony Discusses Benching vs. Virginia

The 18-year-old freshman opened up about how he stayed grounded during his first career benching.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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Kiyan Anthony, the son of NBA star Carmelo Anthony, recently spoke about how he handled being benched for the first time this season in Syracuse's game against Virginia. Anthony said he focused on staying in the gym and avoiding social media during the process, which helped him mature and come back strong in the next game against SMU, where he scored 13 points off the bench.

Why it matters

As the son of a famous NBA player, Kiyan Anthony has been in the spotlight for years. This benching was his first major adversity as a college player, and how he responded shows his maturity and ability to handle pressure, which will be important for his continued development and Syracuse's success this season.

The details

Kiyan Anthony was benched for the first time this season in Syracuse's game against Virginia. Instead of letting the outside noise and attention get to him, Anthony said he focused on staying in the gym and avoiding social media. He credited this approach with helping him mature and come back strong in Syracuse's next game against SMU, where he scored 13 points off the bench.

  • Kiyan Anthony was benched in Syracuse's game against Virginia.
  • Anthony scored 13 points off the bench in Syracuse's game against SMU.

The players

Kiyan Anthony

An 18-year-old freshman basketball player at Syracuse University and the son of NBA star Carmelo Anthony.

Carmelo Anthony

Kiyan Anthony's father, who is a former NBA player.

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What they’re saying

“I talk to my dad all day everyday. He was the main one telling me to stay in the gym, and it was going to pay off. Sometimes it can be hard, me still being an 18-year-old...that's what we do is look on Instagram, look on Twitter. This is the first time I've deleted stuff like that and just kind of stayed away from everything.”

— Kiyan Anthony, Syracuse Basketball Player (clutchpoints.com)

“Everything is about opportunity. And when you get the opportunity, you got to go out there and you just got to do whatever you can to stay out there. And I feel like I did a good job of that today and hopefully we can take a step in the right direction and build off of this.”

— Kiyan Anthony, Syracuse Basketball Player (clutchpoints.com)

What’s next

Kiyan Anthony and Syracuse will look to build on his strong performance off the bench against SMU as they continue their season.

The takeaway

Kiyan Anthony's maturity in handling his first career benching, by staying focused on improving in the gym and avoiding distractions, shows his potential to develop into a key contributor for Syracuse this season and beyond.