Syracuse, N.Y. ― With his decision to play college basketball at Syracuse University, Kiyan Anthony is continuing not just one, but two different legacies.
Anthony, a 6-foot-5 guard and a consensus top-40 prospect in the 2025 class, announced on Friday he would attend Syracuse University.
In doing so, Anthony will follow in the famous footsteps of his father, Carmelo Anthony, perhaps the greatest player in Syracuse University history.
Despite playing just one season at Syracuse, Carmelo Anthony left a lasting impression on the SU program. As a freshman, he led the Orange to its only NCAA championship. He was named Most Outstanding Player of the 2003 Final Four.
Beyond that one year, though, Anthony’s name remains associated with Syracuse basketball. His name adorns the school’s basketball facility, the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, after his donation kick-started the fund-raising campaign. The building is now offered referred to as the Melo Center.
But the K in the facility’s full name stands for Kiyan: Carmelo’s middle name and the name of his son, who will now take up residency in the Melo Center.
But there’s another legacy attached to Anthony’s decision to play for his father’s alma mater.
Carmelo and Kiyan Anthony will become the eighth father-son duo to play basketball at Syracuse University.
It’s a remarkable lineage that dates back to the 1940s and includes some of the school’s biggest basketball names like Owens and Cohen and the two most recent head coaches in Boeheim and Autry.
Here is a look the fathers and sons who played for the Orange:
Bill and Dick Suprunowicz
Dick Suprunowicz was a standout player at Mont Pleasant High School in Schenectady. In three years, his high school team lost one game.
The 5-11 guard became a three-year starter at Syracuse from 1948 to 1951. He was a consistent scorer; he averaged 6.9 points per game as a senior, but his best attributes were his ball-handling and defense.
Suprunowicz’ son, Bill, initially went to Air Force, but he transferred to Syracuse after one year. Bill, a 6-3 guard, was mostly a reserve during his career, but like his father, was known for defense and ball-handling.
Leo and Andy Rautins
Leo, a highly-touted recruit out of Toronto, transferred to Syracuse after his freshman year at Minnesota. After sitting out one season, Rautins became a key player for the Orangemen. He scored 1,031 points in his three-year career at SU from 1980 to 1983. A versatile forward, he led the team in assists twice and rebounding once.
Andy Rautins starred at Jamesville-DeWitt High School before coming to Syracuse. In his career from 2005 to 2010, Rautins went from sub to role player to a leader on the 2010 team that was ranked No. 1 in the nation. Andy joined his father in the 1,000-point club with 1,121.
Vince and Vinnie Cohen
Although he is now often overlooked in the conversation, Vince Cohen remains one of the best players in Syracuse history. Cohen came to SU out of Boys High in Brooklyn. He started throughout his three-year career at SU from 1954 to 1957.
Cohen, a 6-1 forward, led Syracuse to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 1957. He averaged 24.2 points that season and earned All-America honors.
Vince Jr. spent the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons on the SU basketball team as a walk-on.
Both Cohens also earned law degrees from SU.
Jim and Buddy/Jimmy Boeheim
The most famous father-son duo in SU history times two.
Jim Boeheim coached at Syracuses head coach for 47 years, but from 1963 to 1966 he was a key player on the Syracuse teams that were led by Dave Bing.
Boeheim became a starter as a senior and averaged 14.6 points on a team that advanced to the NCAA’s East Region final in 1966.
But Boeheim is known more for his Hall of Fame coaching career. He led the SU program to five Final Fours, including the 2003 national title.
And he’s part of two father-son legacies.
Buddy Boeheim spent four years playing for his father. The 6-foot-6 guard averaged 19.2 points per game as a senior in the 2021-22 season. Boeheim finished his career with 1,765 points, which puts him 13th on the school’s all-time scoring list.
Buddy Boeheim not only played for his father, but also played with his older brother, Jimmy, for one season. Jimmy, a 6-9 forward, started his college career at Cornell, but transferred to Syracuse for the 2021-22 season. Jimmy started every game that year, averaging 13.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Adrian and Adrian Jr. Autry
Before coming to Syracuse, Adrian Autry was a McDonald’s All-America at St. Nicholas of Tolentine High School in New York City. Autry played at Syracuse from 1990 to 1994.
Autry averaged 16.7 points as a senior, leading the Orange to the 1994 NCAA Sweet 16. He finished his career with 1,538 points and still ranks 5th in school history with 631 assists.
Autry’s son, Adrian Jr., was a walk-on with the SU basketball team from 2015 to 2019.
Billy and Chaz Owens
Syracuse great Billy Owens played at SU from 1988 to 1991. Despite playing in college for just three seasons, Owens ranks 12th on SU’s all-time scoring list with 1,840 career points.
Owens averaged 23.4 points as a junior; the fourth-highest scoring average for a player in SU history. He earned All-America and Big East Player of the Year honors as a junior.
Owens’ son, Chaz, is a grad student walk-on on this year’s Syracuse squad. The 6-foot-5 forward joined the program in 2020-21. He spent one year at Ranger Junior College in Texas before returning to Syracuse.
