Of course, as the son of an NBA Hall of Fame member, most children will never see most children. But Kiyan still has to meet expectations and deal with immeasurable pressures that ordinary high school students can’t even understand. Nothing was left to him. A classic example: He was rejected at McDonald's All-American Game in New York, so how did Kee Young respond? Only after Jordan Brand Classic won MVP honors, 26 points and 5 rebounds in just 20 minutes. Just for good measure, he added 25 points in 21 minutes to win the People's Choice Award in Allen Iverson's classic game.
Still, Keeyan has shaped his grassroots career as the top player in the New York consensus, now heading into Syracuse, one of the most popular recruits in the city’s recent memory.
“I’m very happy to be playing on a bigger stage, in front of more fans, in front of more people, in front of more people, in front of higher expectations, in front of everything, to the next level,” he said. “I feel like all the work we’ve been putting in will definitely show up at this level. I’m definitely looking forward to getting into the dome and playing away games, getting ready to compete and being able to win.”
For Melo, this is an unknown territory. He knows the arena, the crowd, the bets – but now he will watch it off the field. “I know to prepare for the Georgetown game, or for the Villanova game, Pittsburgh or St. John's game,” he said. “I know there's a dome feeling of 35,000 people there. He hasn't experienced it yet. I'm excited for his reaction to it unknown. He has to prepare for it. Games are games, but games bring a lot.”
Kiyan [on] He said a failed team had to worry about people transferring and similar things. I just want to build a good brotherhood with my teammates and coaches and be able to go there to win. I feel like when you go out and win the team, all the individual success comes after it. ”
