While Kiyan was set to move into Syracuse on June 1st, he reportedly planned to arrive a few days early to get acclimated. Now, with her only child having been gone for quite a few weeks, the effect of the ‘Empty Nest Syndrome’ is taking a toll on the 43-year-old, so much so that, during her appearance on the recent episode of Angie Martinez’s show, the host jokingly accused her guest of making her cry so early into the interview.

Kiyan, a consensus four-star recruit ranked in the Top 40 of his class, was a standout at Long Island Lutheran High School. And his move to the upstate New York campus has been a major topic of conversation among basketball fans. Not so much a favorite topic for his mom, though. During her conversation with Martinez, she explained how hard it’s been to accept the reality.

“I keep telling people that it’s just something that I don’t think I heard enough people talk about, or … maybe I just wasn’t prepared for it,” she admits. “You hear conversations about everything that people go through in life. For some reason, I wasn’t privy to the conversations about when your kid leaves for college, when your only child leaves for college, and like, that void.”

La La wasn’t in her best mindset about losing a happy presence in her house, and she wasn’t afraid to admit it. “When he left… I just feel like the energy in the house kind of just left because my house has always been the fun house,” said La La Anthony. She explained that her home was always full of his friends and music, but now, it’s just “gotten quiet, and that’s been really really hard for me.” La La concluded by stating she is not “embarrassed to say it” and that she’s “so deep in that feeling. And it’s been hard.”

This isn’t the first time that Carmelo Anthony’s ex has been honest about the impact that Kiyan’s leaving for college had on her.

La La Anthony even admitted her feelings during a live session with her son. When Kiyan asked his mom why she was crying, she replied, “Because I miss my best friend. What are you talking about? You’re my best friend.” Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony is accepting his son’s next chapter in life in a different way.

A legacy of father and son at Syracuse

During an interview with Sports Illustrated back in March, the former Knicks star admitted that “I just want him to go have fun. Go have fun, enjoy the college experience. I want him to enjoy being a college basketball player. That’s a different type of experience. Once you experience that, then you feel like, ‘O.K., O.K.. I’ve got that, now it’s time for me to move on.’ But you can’t move on until you actually experience that.”

Melo‘s response is likely rooted in his own experience at Syracuse, where he was a one-and-done sensation. In his single season, he led the Orange to their first-ever NCAA championship in 2003, earning the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. His 22.2 points and 10 rebounds per game, per sports-reference.com made him one of the most dominant freshmen in college basketball history. Clearly, Kiyan has his work cut out for him.

More importantly, being a Syracuse legend, Melo understands the unique pressures and opportunities that come his son’s way. As Kiyan admitted, his father will be “going to be back and forth” from his school, so the father and son will be seeing a lot more of each other, providing Carmelo with a chance to relive his collegiate legacy through his son, while also being there to guide him through the process.