Syracuse basketball 2026 priority target Jordan Smith Jr. wasted no time in getting right to work at a prestigious annual showcase in the Sunshine State.
From Thursday until next Tuesday, Dec. 23, the annual City of Palms Classic is taking place in Fort Myers, Fla., with some of the top high school programs and players in action. On Thursday, in the event's opener, Smith and his team, St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., battled Garfield Heights High School from Garfield Heights, Ohio, near Cleveland.
The game, which aired on NBA TV, saw St. Paul VI prevail over Garfield Heights by a final score of 93-60, according to a box score provided on the City of Palms Classic's Web site. The 6-foot-3 Smith, a 2026 five-star shooting guard who has the Orange in his top six, played about 23 minutes and scored 40 points.
2026 5⭐️ Jordan Smith Jr. just went for an easy 40 points, including 29 in the first half, to give @PVIHoops a first-round win over Garfield Heights at @CityOfPalmsBKB.
— Sam Kayser (@KayserHoops) December 18, 2025
The 6-foot-3 guard is down to six schools: Arkansas, Duke, Georgetown, Syracuse, Kentucky and Indiana.
#3 in… pic.twitter.com/WRJWECrrgu
That's not a misprint. He dropped 40 points on 16-of-25 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. For good measure, the nation's No. 2 senior, per the industry-generated 247Sports Composite, added five assists, four rebounds and three steals.
Jordan Smith went into the tournament and set the tone immediately, delivering a dominant 40-point performance. He showcased elite mid-range shot-making, played lockdown defense throughout, and was a constant force in transition—capitalizing on every opportunity. His complete… pic.twitter.com/ewjS2tbC6p
— Jeremiah Peralta (@jeremiahpera1ta) December 18, 2025
For a while now, analysts and scouts have deemed Smith, an All-American, as the top defender in the 2026 cycle. Given his increasingly strong offensive game, Smith, throughout the 2025-26 season, is likely to make a serious run at the No. 1 national ranking in the high school senior class.
Syracuse basketball 2026 priority recruit Jordan Smith Jr. is off to a blazing start as a senior.
In the City of Palms Classic's "classic bracket," St. Paul VI will next face the winner of a match-up between Calvary Christian High School from Clearwater, Fla., and Owasso High School from Owasso, Okla.
Two other high school prospects who hold a scholarship offer from the Orange are suiting up in the City of Palms Classic. They are 2027 five-star wings/small forward Moussa Kamissoko of Long Island Lutheran High School in Brookville, N.Y., and 2027 five-star big man Paul Osaruyi of CIA Bella Vista in Phoenix. Both of those players are potential re-class candidates into the 2026 cycle, analysts have said.
Long Island Lutheran is also in the "classic bracket," while CIA Bella Vista resides in the event's "signature series" bracket.
In the early part of the 2025-26 season, St. Paul VI is ranked No. 2 by MaxPreps in the media outlet's top 25 of high school programs that compete for state-affiliated championships. MaxPreps has a separate top 10 that only includes independent basketball academies and prep-school teams that don't compete for state-affiliated titles.
Jordan Smith (No. 3 SC Next 100) dropped 26 points in a win vs. No. 15 Stepinac.
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) December 12, 2025
No. 13 Paul Vi extends their home winning streak to 4️⃣0️⃣ games 😱 pic.twitter.com/mBRw5MKtcy
St. Paul VI already has some impressive wins this term, and Smith's 40-bomb on Thursday is one of numerous monster performances for him as a senior for the Panthers, a group that will compete for a berth in next spring's Chipotle Nationals.
Smith, offered a scholarship by the 'Cuse in early May of 2023, has a top six of Syracuse basketball, Duke, Arkansas, Georgetown, Kentucky and Indiana. He has unofficially visited the Hill twice, including a trip to the Orange in early November of this year, as I first reported.