The expectations come with the last name, especially in Central New York.
Kiyan Anthony is officially on campus at Syracuse University, preparing for his freshman season, practicing in a sparkling building with his father Carmelo's name on the front.
It'll be hard to avoid the hype at home and the heckles on the road.
At the same time, those are things Kiyan has dealt with his whole life.
Syracuse held its annual media day, and Anthony spoke about what it's like to follow in his father's footsteps.
He was asked if he was chasing his dad's shadow, and this is how Kiyan responded, via Syracuse.com's Brent Axe:
“No, I don’t think so. Even though I’m at the same school as him and have the same last name, I don’t think so. At the end of the day, we’re two different people. He was a McDonald’s All-American, number one player in the country. He came in with the chip on shoulder. I feel like it’s a little different for me, just because I proved myself a little bit later in my career, in my high school career. So I’m just trying to come in here and show that no matter how long it take, if it’s one year, two years, you know, I’m still trying to get it done and get to the next level.”
Kiyan isn't expected to be a starter to open the season, which at least in some ways should pump the brakes on what is expected of him.
There'll still be a little extra buzz in the JMA Wireless Dome anytime Kiyan does something cool, though.
After all, his father won a national championship in his only season at SU.
Kiyan may not do that out of the gates, but he can grow into a good player for Syracuse, doing it his own way.
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