Hoops, Rap, and Everything Black 3 | Kiyan Commits & Brooklynn’s Picks

Written By Curtis Rowser

Welcome back to Hoops, Rap, and Everything Black, a weekly Sunday newsletter about… you guessed it—basketball, hip-hop, and us. As always, I’m so thankful for your readership. If you have it in you, please subscribe at the bottom. I promise not to spam your inbox!

In this third rendition: I write a little on Kiyan Anthony’s and Meleek Thomas’s respective college commitments, highlight a couple of this week’s good reads, share a refreshing playlist curated by my 15-year old sister, and some more.

Let’s get straight to it…

HOOPS,

RAP,

AND EVERYTHING BLACK

HOOPS, RAP, AND EVERYTHING BLACK

In case you missed it, a couple of big-time CBB commitments…

Kiyan Anthony warming up for SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 6 at Rucker Park. Photo: Curtis Rowser III

  • On Friday, Kiyan Anthony committed to Syracuse University; he’ll follow his father’s footsteps, but is destined to carve out his own legacy. Last week, I said my ideal destination of his remaining options would be Auburn, but as it turned out, he’d end up cutting them from his list in the days that followed—leaving Syracuse and USC. He made the announcement on 7PM in Brooklyn, his dad Melo’s podcast. After listening to Kiyan break down his recruiting process and his reasons for ultimately choosing the Orange over the Trojans, I’m convinced he made the best decision possible.

    My one big hope (aside from health, of course) is that he continues to run his own race. A little while back, Melo reaffirmed their refrain from rushing to the league. I’d love to see Kiyan develop at the college level and help lead Syracuse back to the national title contention. Sure, maybe this sounds a little idealistic, but I also believe in second-year Coach Adrian Autry, the Bronx-bred, former McDonald’s All-American and four-year Syracuse starting guard. He’s building something special up there in Syracuse, and Kiyan’s commitment is a big chip to fall. Not to mention, Coach Autry is a DMV guy, too. He got his coaching start at Bishop Ireton and did a stint at Paul VI in the early-mid 2000s. And I will argue to the death of me that the DMV is the best grassroots scene in the country and probably the best place that a college-coach-hopeful could lay the foundation of their career. Alas, I love everything about Kiyan to Syracuse.

  • Meleek Thomas committed to Coach John Calipari and the Arkansas Razorbacks earlier this week. I’ve been following Meleek’s development over the past year or so, and got the opportunity to watch him play this past summer in the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. 6 (along with Kiyan) at Rucker Park. Homie’s the real deal. He’s a consensus five-star prospect and ranked in the top 10 on every relevant recruiting poll—his recruiting stature is more than justified as far as my eyes can see. He’s a 6’4 combo guard who plays with a great motor and maturity beyond his age. As it currently stands, Coach Cal is the only coach to have already secured two top-10 2025 recruits (the other is No. 1 ranked point guard Darius Acuff). Meleek chose Coach Cal and the Razorbacks over his hometown Pittsburgh Panthers and Dan Hurley’s UConn Huskies. I’m buying all the stock on Coach Cal and Arkansas! I predict he at least makes another Final Four in the next three to five years.

This week’s good reads…

  • Earlier this week, Klay Thompson made his first return to Chase Center since leaving the Dubs for the Mavs this past offseason. The Athletic’s Anthony Slater wrote a great feature, illuminating Klay Thompson’s all-time legend moment. [The Athletic]

  • The Champions Classic is typically a good early-season indicator on four of the most storied programs in CBB history—Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Kansas. The Athletic’s CJ Moore broke down film from this week’s matchups (Michigan State/Kansas and Kentucky/Duke), offering some good insight on how each team might fare this season. [The Athletic]

What I’m listening to…

  • I asked my 15-year-old sister Brooklynn to make a playlist for me, so I could get a peek into what Gen Z is listening to. Well, she made a playlist, but it’s not necessarily representative of Gen Z. My sister has an old soul—and very respectable music taste. Honestly, I don’t even know where her music taste derives from; but big bro approves! And you will, too. Add this to your library, so I can show her how much this gives us faith that the youth is not all lost. (I had no input whatsoever in the song selection.)

  • On Friday, Cordae just dropped his long-awaited third studio album, The Crossroads. I’ve listened to it in its entirety twice thus far; it’s an enjoyable listen. I’m curious to see where it’ll fall on the upcoming inaugural Hoops, Rap, and Everything Black Albums of the Year list; but off the top of my head, in this very moment, I’ll say it feels like a top 15-ish rap project this year.

  • Joony and Jordan Ward’s EP JRNY has been a go-to for me when I’m looking for a quick 13-minute change of pace.

This week’s release-anniversaries…

  • New Blue Sun — André 3000, 11/17/23 (1 year)

    • I love what this album represents. I also love how it feels and sounds. But yes, I, like almost any rap fan ever, would love a full-length André 3000 rap album.

  • The Last Temptation — Ja Rule, 11/19/02 (22 years)

    • A joint! It’s so crazy to think that I was only 8 years old when this came out. Ja Rule was the first “gangsta rapper” I remember to take a stab at singing on his hooks. I’m definitely gonna run this album a time or two this week. My favorite tracks on this album are the singles, Thug Lovin’ (feat. Bobby Brown) and Mesmerize (feat. Ashanti). Ja’s impact on hip-hop is very understated.

Games to watch this week…

  • 13 Purdue vs. 15 Marquette, 11/19, 9 P.M. [Men’s]

    • Prediction: Marquette

  • 12 Baylor vs. 22 St. John’s, 11/21, 7 P.M. [Men’s]

    • Prediction: St. John’s

  • 6 Duke vs. 9 Arizona, 11/22, 10: 30 P.M. [Men’s]

    • Prediction: Arizona

  • 6 Notre Dame vs. 3 USC, 11/23, 4 P.M. [Women’s]

    • Prediction: USC

That’s all I have for you this week. Again, if you haven’t already, subscribe below and follow me on your favorite platforms to stay tuned for new content, upcoming giveaways, special offers, and more. Also, please hit me with any tips, thoughts, comments, ideas, etc. The feedback so far has inspired me. Thank you!

See ya next Sunday; there’s something special cooking for that one.

Curtis “Trey” Rowser

Curtis Rowser https://www.rowserwrites.com
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