Syracuse Basketball: 5-star target, PG recruit help lead No. 1 St. Paul VI to title

The powerhouse St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., whose 2023-24 roster includes two Syracuse basketball recruiting targets, has captured a showcase championship.

In recent days, the Panthers were playing in The Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions, a prestigious annual event that this year took place from January 11 to January 13 in Springfield, Mo.

In the championship game of this showcase, St. Paul VI defeated St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, Calif., by a final score of 71-53, according to an article by Thomas Frey of MaxPreps.

MaxPreps, in its latest top-25 national rankings, has St. Paul VI at No. 1 around the country. This top 25 includes high school programs that compete for state-affiliated titles.

Syracuse basketball targets won a tournament crown.

The St. Paul VI line-up in the current 2023-24 season includes two 2026 players who hold scholarship offers from the Orange coaching staff.

They are Jordan Smith Jr., a five-star shooting guard, and Anthony Brown, an underrated yet fast-rising point guard.

The 6-foot-3 Smith received an offer from the ‘Cuse in early May of last year. As I noted over the weekend, Orange coaches are working to get Smith, a top-10 national prospect in his class, on the SU campus for an unofficial visit.

The 6-foot-1 Brown, meanwhile, landed his offer from the ‘Cuse in late August of 2023, around the time that he took an unofficial visit to the Hill to compete in the annual Elite Camp put on by the Syracuse basketball staff.

In the win over St. John Bosco, per Frey, Smith tallied 11 points and four steals. I haven’t come across a full box score for this game, so I’m not sure about Brown’s statistics.

In its first contest at this year’s Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions, St. Paul VI handled Glendale High School from Springfield, Mo., with ease, 82-21.

Next up, St. Paul VI battled an excellent foe, McEachern High School in Powder Springs, Ga. McEachern, which came into this affair ranked No. 11 nationally in the most recent MaxPreps top 25, played St. Paul VI tough, but the Panthers would prevail, 48-37.

After taking home the top prize in Springfield, Mo., at The Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions, St. Paul VI was heading to Springfield, Mass., for arguably the top event on the high school hoops calendar, the annual Spalding Hoophall Classic.

On Monday, Jan. 15, in an enticing encounter that will air on ESPNU starting at 1 pm, St. Paul VI will go toe to toe with highly ranked Christopher Columbus High School from Miami.

As I noted in a column on Sunday, the Syracuse basketball coaching staff was expected to be in attendance on Sunday and then again on Monday at the Spalding Hoophall Classic to watch various recruits.