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Myron Medcalf
Multiple Authors
Syracuse’s legendary player seems to be dissatisfied with the current situation of the program.
Carmelo Anthony, who guided Syracuse to its only national championship in 2003 and is the father of freshman guard Kiyan Anthony, appeared to send a strong message after the Orange’s 87-77 defeat to North Carolina on Monday night — marking their fifth loss in six games.
“SMFH,” Anthony commented on an in-game highlight posted on the team’s official Instagram account during the match against the Tar Heels.
Coach Adrian Autry’s team is now 13-10 overall and 4-6 in the ACC. The Orange’s struggles have been compounded by their standing of 363rd out of 365 Division I teams in free throw shooting, along with being at the bottom of the ACC for offensive rebounding rate and turnover percentage.
It’s concerning that one of the school’s all-time greats and father of a notable recruit is expressing dissatisfaction, indicating trouble for the program. Anthony invested millions into the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center, the practice facility for both men’s and women’s teams, and he regularly attends home games.
When Kiyan committed to Syracuse in 2024, Anthony expressed confidence in the potential development with the team. but, Kiyan, who contributed 10 points in 15 minutes against North Carolina on Monday night, has faced a challenging freshman season, 23 years after his father led the squad to the 2003 national title in his sole college season.
Following Monday’s game, Autry, now in his third year with the program after serving as a longtime assistant to former head coach Jim Boeheim, stated that Syracuse must improve moving forward. The team still has future matchups against Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, SMU, and Louisville scheduled.
“On both sides, we need to improve and be more consistent,” Autry stated. “This is part of the season, part of the journey. There are more games to be played. I believe in this group. We just need to maintain consistency in our objectives.”
