SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Syracuse Orange men’s basketball team has its starting point guard position squared away. Georgia Tech transfer Naithan George will handle the lead guard duties. Adrian Autry is looking
to establish his backup point guard early in the preseason.
Kiyan Anthony is a natural shooting guard. Although modern basketball has become positionless that’s where Anthony figures to play. Anthony is set to come off the bench to start his freshman year and he’s willing to play whichever position Autry needs him in. With JJ Starling commanding the shooting guard position, would Anthony also be willing to play some point guard?
“I actually had a talk with Red [Autry] today,” Anthony said Wednesday night.
Anthony comes into Syracuse with pedigree as a skilled scorer, but Autry sees him as more than just that. He described him in a way that sounds more like that of a lead guard.
“He’s a very good player,” Autry said. “I think people label him as a three-level scorer, which he can, but he can pass the ball. He can make plays. He has a very high IQ. He’s starting to use his voice which he can do because he knows what’s going on and I encourage him.”
When George comes out the game, who does Syracuse turn to at point? Autry has options. He could turn to Luke Fennell, a 6-foot-6 freshman guard from Australia who missed Wednesday night’s exhibition with a lower body injury. Last season Starling played point guard out of necessity, but Starling’s natural position is shooting guard where he can focus on attacking and hunting shots rather than initiating the offense.
“He like(s) JJ off the ball to get downhill and create plays like that,” Anthony said. ”So I have no problem bringing the ball up.”
Anthony played some point guard in high school at Long Island Lutheran. He’s a gifted offensive player and his scoring chops are well documented. In two exhibition contests with Syracuse he’s made shots immediately after checking into the game. He made a stepback jumpshot along the baseline in Buffalo and he made a long three on his first shot against Pace on Wednesday night.
“My shot was feeling pretty good,” Anthony said. “So I knew as soon as I checked in one was going up just to test the waters a little bit. Fortunately it went in.“
Anthony finished with nine points on Wednesday night after scoring ten in the first exhibition. Carmelo Anthony was in attendance for the Pace exhibition and came into the locker room after to greet players. Kiyan describes playing at the same place his father once did as a blessing. He came into the JMA Wireless Dome early before the Pace exhibition to get shots up. He’d go back onto the court Wednesday night and get shots in to adjust to the depth perception in the dome after going 4-8 from the free throw line, he said.
Syracuse put Anthony in point guard scenarios in the summer sessions to get him accustom to making reads with the ball in his hands. He’s brought the ball up in both Syracuse exhibition games. He interchanged at point guard in the Buffalo game. On Wednesday night against Pace, without Fennell, he took more repetitions at point.
Irrespective of position Anthony will play wherever he’s needed.
“Coming in the game — bringing the ball up, playing off the ball — whatever coach wants me to do in that particular game I’ll do it,” Anthony said.
