Legendary prep coach Jason Smith dishes on new school, Syracuse 5-star recruit and Gerry McNamara

Not long after SU officials hired Gerry McNamara as the next head coach of Syracuse men's basketball last March, legendary high school head coach Jason Smith gave McNamara a call to congratulate him.

"Gerry's awesome," Smith, one of the most accomplished high school basketball head coaches ever, told Inside the Loud House in a phone interview this week. "I know he'll do a great job."

McNamara is taking the reins at the Orange after turning around Siena as the Saints' head coach over the past two seasons. Smith is also entering a new endeavor after 26 seasons leading the powerhouse Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, N.H.

For the 2026-27 campaign, Smith will serve as the head coach of the newly formed Masters Academy International in Stow, Mass., which is a part of the loaded 15-team Nike Elite Youth Basketball League Scholastic ("EYBL Scholastic").

Smith's accolades at Brewster, which has sent numerous of its players to the 'Cuse over the years, are too many to list here. He says he's ready for a new challenge - and new opportunities - at Masters Academy International, where the director of basketball is John Carroll, another giant in prep hoops who previously led the Northfield Mount Hermon School in Gill, Mass.

Syracuse basketball is recruiting at least one of Jason Smith's players at his new school.

The EYBL Scholastic consists of top-flight independent basketball academies and prep-school programs, and numerous Orange recruits will suit up in this league in 2026-27. One member is CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix, which in the 2025-26 season won the high school national title. The Bears' 2026-27 roster includes a Syracuse basketball 2027 five-star priority target and several recruits from the 2028 cycle.

At Masters Academy International, which opens next month, Smith says he has a few roster spots left. The Mavericks' 2026-27 roster features players such as 2028 five-star wing Kevin Wheatley Jr., who is an SU recruit; 2027 four-star point guard Antonio Pemberton; 2027 four-star shooting guard Mekhi Robertson, who is verbally committed to Merrimack; 2027 four-star shooting guard Josiah Adamson; and 2027 three-star shooting guard Tayden Langdon.

The 6-foot-6, 200-pound Wheatley, a top-25 national prospect in the 2028 class who is from Rahway, N.J., first picked up a scholarship offer from the Orange last December, around the time that he took an unofficial visit to the Hill. McNamara and his staff have since re-offered Wheatley.

Wheatley didn't play last season while both he and Smith were at Brewster due to an injury. Smith said that it shows Wheatley's character that he moved over to Masters Academy International this past offseason with Smith, despite having never played in an official game with Smith as his head coach.

"He's an unbelievable young man," Smith says of Wheatley. "Extremely talented. Explosive athlete. Excellent perimeter shooter and can guard three positions" on defense.

Smith said that he'll have a better feel for his roster once all the players arrive on campus in September. Masters Academy International is expected to compete in exhibition showcases in October, including the annual Border League in Las Vegas, before league play commences in November.

The fall recruiting period opens in September, and it wouldn't be a surprise if the new Orange coaching staff heads to Masters Academy International for open gyms to check in on Wheatley and other potential recruiting targets.

"I'll reach out to Gerry about that," Smith says.

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