Jordan Smith Jr. Powers Duke Pipeline School to Top Ranking

The 2026 Duke basketball recruiting target has a shot at rising to No. 1 himself.

Jordan Smith reacts with excitement after securing a win for the championship. Paul VI Catholic High School (Chantilly, VA) defeated Archbishop Stepinac High School (White Plains, NY) to win the 2025 City of Palms Classic Basketball Championship Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025 at Suncoast Arena in Fort Myers. Paul VI won with a final score of 57-53. | Ricardo Rolon / USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Paul VI Catholic High School (Va.) Panthers, featuring a potential Duke basketball recruiting prize in elite combo guard Jordan Smith Jr., have recorded only one loss this season. That 74-70 defeat, which came at the hands of the Prolific Prep (Fla.) The Crew, earlier this month, was in double overtime and seems to have made Smith and the Panthers stronger.

Last week, Paul VI Catholic sat at No. 2 in the MaxPreps Top 25 national high school basketball rankings. But having since secured the championship trophy at the prestigious City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers, Fla., by prevailing over three ranked opponents in as many days, it'd be tough to argue that the Panthers, now 9-1 this season, are deserving of any spot lower than No. 1.

A major shakeup headlines this week’s MaxPreps Top 25 as Paul VI (VA) rises to No. 1 🏀📈

Full story ⬇️https://t.co/zks4KcKESW pic.twitter.com/150sBfbKfM

— MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) December 24, 2025

So, as advertised in the above post, it makes sense that MaxPreps bumped the Panthers to No. 1 in its latest update to the rankings on Wednesday. After all, one of the squads that Paul VI Catholic defeated in Fort Myers is the now-No. 2 Principia High School (Mo.) Panthers; two more, the Calvary Christian Academy (Fla.) Eagles and Archbishop Stepinac High School (N.Y.) Crusaders, each appear inside the top 10 at No. 4 and No. 8, respectively.

Smith, who checks in at No. 2 overall on the 247Sports 2026 Composite, took home the City of Palms Classic MVP hardware after averaging a next-level 31.3 points per game at the talent-packed event.

Where Things Stand for Duke Basketball in Jordan Smith Jr. Sweepstakes

The fact that four eventual Duke basketball players from this decade alone — Jeremy Roach, Trevor Keels, Darren Harris, Patrick Ngongba II — played their high school ball at Paul VI Catholic should help Jon Scheyer & Co.'s chances of landing Jordan Smith Jr.

Feb 22, 2025; New York, NY, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Plus, the Blue Devils have hosted Smith on two official visits and one unofficial visit since extending an offer to the versatile backcourt talent back in July 2024. Meanwhile, the 247Sports Crystal Ball points to Duke as the favorite.

That said, at the City of Palms Classic, Smith told the media that he's still considering all six of his finalists: the Duke Blue Devils, Arkansas Razorbacks, Kentucky Wildcats, Indiana Hoosiers, Syracuse Orange, and Georgetown Hoyas. Moreover, Smith added that he plans to hold out at least another month or so before choosing a winning suitor.

For now, Duke basketball boasts a three-deep 2026 recruiting class that stacks up at No. 5 overall in the country, per 247Sports.

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