By DYLAN LUTEY
Despite being without five-star Duke-bound big man Pat Ngongba, Paul VI High School (VA) made a statement at the City of Palms classic, going 3-1 and ending the week on a high note by beating Link Academy (MO) in the third place game on Saturday.
With seniors Benjamin Hammond (Rhode Island), Isaiah Abraham (UConn), Garrett Sundra (Notre Dame), and Darren Harris (Duke) all committed, it was a chance for some of the younger talent to catch the attention of scouts and sophomore guard Jordan Smith Jr did just that. The 6-foot=2 guard who is ranked 18th in the class of 2026 by ESPN picked up his 10th offer from Michigan following his performance.
“It feels good to get the offer because I feel like the work I put in during the summer is starting to show,” Smith Jr told ZAGSBLOG.
The five-star guard averaged 11.5 points and 4 rebounds per game on an outstanding 21–of-28 from the field during the event which included a 15-point, 5 rebound performance in an 80-61 win over Millennium (AZ) and a 14-point, 5-rebound outing in a 71-70 win over IMG Academy (FL).
In a semifinal battle with powerhouse Montverde (FL), who boasts a starting lineup of seniors who are all ranked in the top-40 led by No. 1 prospect Cooper Flagg (Duke), Smith Jr showed no nerves in finishing with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the 69-62 loss. Despite the respectable individual performance, he expected more from himself.
“My mindset going into the game was to defend as best as I could and play as hard as I could to win,” he said of the game against Montverde. “I felt like I could’ve limited my mistakes and made second efforts on defense.”
It might not have been a perfect week, but it certainly was a productive one for Smith Jr whose stock continues to rise. In addition to his latest offer from the Wolverines he has offers from Syracuse, Providence, Villanova, Georgetown, Kansas State and more.
Some big offers could be coming his way in the future — Duke has shown interest. Along with the Blue Devils, Kansas and Houston are his dream offers.
He doesn’t have any visits scheduled, but has gone to Georgetown and Maryland.
The sophomore guard will look to continue to help the Panthers win games and catch the attention of scouts with his self-described scrappy play.
“I feel like I bring my positive energy, hustle, and my defensive abilities [to the court],” he said of his playing style.
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