Kiyan Anthony made a return from his injury and he could not have asked for a better chain of events to mark his return. Those who have been following Carmelo Anthony’s 17-year-old son’s basketball journey would know he suffered a back injury in Movember-end last year. Missing multiple games for his high school team, Kiyan also missed the eligibility criteria to qualify for McDonald’s All-American. He recently made his return to the court with his father’s annual tourney. And cheering for her son as always, was La La Anthony.
The proud mom shared some snaps of Kiyan from Carmelo Anthony’s A Very Melo Classic. The Syracuse commit was seen rocking a Team Melo upper. But don’t get it twisted—Kiyan was repping his Lutheran Long Island High School at the tournament. “Drove 3 hours to see him play,” La La wrote in her IG story with a heart emoji.
Now, if you haven’t heard of the A Very Melo Classic, it’s time to get familiar. This annual tournament brings together some of the top high school basketball talent from across the country. Hosted by none other than Carmelo Anthony himself, this year’s event marks its third edition. Melo’s been passionate about this from the start, saying back in 2023, “We want to keep building this, we want to make this annually. We want to keep growing, getting better, and giving these kids opportunities.”
What’s new this year, you ask? The tournament has found a fresh home in Harford County for the first time, taking over the APGFCU Arena at Harford Community College. A new venue, but the same electric energy of the tourney where ten powerhouse teams will battle it out. These include Sidwell, Mt. Zion HS, B. McNamara, Mount St. Joseph, Oak Hill Academy, Gonzaga, OTE, St. Francis Academy, Paul VI, and of course, Kiyan Anthony’s LuHi squad.
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Not only did Kiyan Anthony’s LuHi cap off the 3rd annual A Very Melo Classic with a 60-49 win over St. Paul VI Catholic High School, but the 17-year-old Syracuse commit even earned himself the MVP title for the game.
Kiyan Anthony’s LuHi riding high from the confidence of a recent win
Even with Kiyan sidelined by injury, Long Island Lutheran Crusaders showed no signs of slowing down in their Friday matchup against Legacy Early College Lions. And they have Kayden Mingo to thank for that. The four-star Penn State commit stepped up big time, leading the Crusaders to an emphatic 80-54 win over the Lions.
And if the pressure of covering up for Kiyan’s absence wasn’t enough, Mingo did it all with Carmelo Anthony watching from the stands. The matchup took place at Garrett College in McHenry, Maryland, as part of the Western Maryland Classic.
While fans couldn’t stop buzzing about Carmelo Anthony’s courtside appearance, Mingo made sure the action on the court stole the show. Dropping 19 points, snagging 6 rebounds, and dishing out 3 assists, he powered LuHi to their 11th straight win.
With that dominant 34-point victory, the Crusaders have now notched 7 wins this season by 25 points or more. And now that Kiyan is back on the roster, their odds for future wins are only likely to get better.
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