Syracuse basketball staff watches 5-star Jordan Smith knock off nation's No. 1 team

Syracuse basketball coaches continue to recruit 2026 five-star shooting guard and top-five national prospect Jordan Smith Jr. extremely hard.

On December 7, per social media posts, the 6-foot-3 Smith and his team, St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Va., took on the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., as part of the National High School Hoops Festival in Hyattsville, Md.

As I noted in another column, ESPN recruiting director Paul Biancardi last week had IMG as the No. 1 high school program around the country, while St. Paul VI checked in at No. 23 in Biancardi's top 25.

St. Paul VI scored a 67-63 upset of IMG. And per top analyst/scout Colby Giacubeno, Orange head coach Adrian Autry and assistant coach Brenden Straughn were on hand to see Smith, who was an All-American as a sophomore with the Panthers, and IMG senior Sadiq White Jr., a five-star forward and a top-20 national prospect who is officially signed with the 'Cuse in its 2025 class.

Syracuse basketball coaches recently were in attendance for five-star recruits.

According to a box score from Legit Sport Stats, in his squad's victory, Smith tallied 19 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals. In the Ascenders' setback, White had seven points, three boards and one block.

This week, on December 9, Biancardi's latest top 25 put IMG at No. 2 and St. Paul VI at No. 15. Smith, in total, holds more than 20 offers from various blue-blood squads and other heavyweights in the sport.

The Orange staff offered a scholarship to him in early May of 2023. Smith took an unofficial visit to the Hill in late September of this year. A few months earlier, in July, Straughn was on hand for Smith as he helped lead the USA Basketball U17 national team to the gold medal at the 2024 FIBA World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey.

IMG, meanwhile, took on another high-quality group from the DMV, Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md., on December 8 at the National High School Hoops Festival. The Ascenders prevailed by a final of 84-61.

White produced 13 points, five rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal. For Bishop McNamara, 2026 five-star wing and top-10 national prospect Qayden Samuels boasted 23 points and eight boards, while 2026 four-star guard and top-80 overall player Prince-Alexander Moody notched 13 points, three rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Syracuse basketball coaches offered Moody in late August of last year. Samuels picked up his 'Cuse scholarship offer in late July of this year.