Watch: 5-star SG Jordan Smith Jr. leads Paul VI Catholic to a convincing victory at the Capitol Hoops Challenge

Five-star shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr. was in his element on Saturday, as he delivered 21 points, four rebounds and four assists to help Paul VI Catholic to an 85-61 victory over St. Frances Academy at the Capitol Hoops Challenge. A tweet on Sunday featured a brief moment of the player sinking a 3-pointer from the corner during the game.

The Panthers (Chantilly, VA) started the game quite dominantly, as they established a 14-point lead in the first quarter. The rest of the game, however, was close, but they still outscored St. Frances by at least a point in the remaining quarters. In another clip, Smith completed a flying dunk off a steal during the matchup.

Alongside Jordan Smith Jr., senior power forward Jaquan Womack also played a crucial part, delivering 16 points. For St. Francis, 6-foot-7 forward Cameron Fleming delivered 17 points, and 6-foot sophomore Terrance Jones ended the game with 14.

Following Saturday's outing, Paul VI Catholic has recorded another win, a 63-48 victory against St John's on Monday. The team is currently on a 10-3 record this season and will hope to further improve when they face Our Lady of Good Counsel High School on Tuesday evening.

St. Frances, on the other hand, suffered a blow to their 11-game winning streak with the loss to the Panthers (Chantilly, VA). The team has, however, bounced back, recording an 80-62 win against Loyola Blakefield on Monday to extend their record to 14-2. They'll hope to build on the victory with another win against Gilman on Wednesday.

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Top schools recruiting 2026 prospect Jordan Smith Jr.

According to On3's Joe Tipton, Jordan Smith Jr. says five college programs, including Georgetown, Duke, Arkansas, Louisville and Kansas, have maintained contact with him the most. The five-star recruit has over 20 college offers, but he's yet to announce his commitment.

In an interview with On3's Jamie Shaw, Smith gave his thoughts on some of the schools after his talent. Speaking about Duke, the youngster said:

"My visit there was really fun. I got to see my former teammates Pat (Ngongba) and Darren (Harris). I got to spend a lot of time with them. I learned a lot from watching them play, and I learned a lot about myself, too.

"Watching them play, they're playing their freshmen a lot with Cooper (Flagg) and Isaiah (Evans). I've been really impressed with them so far."

According to On3, Duke is leading the race to Smith's commitment with a 55.0% chance. Next in line are Syracuse and Louisville, with a 12.9% and 11.1% chance, respectively.

In the interview, Jordan Smith Jr. also had a thing or two to say about Syracuse and Louisville:

"I learned a lot about them on my visit. At first, I was like, 'ok, it's Syracuse, cool,' but when I went up there, I was really surprised. They try to play fast. When I went to their practice, it was like a Team Takeover practice, so I was like, 'ok.'"

Speaking about Louisville, Jordan Smith Jr. said:

"I like that they're trying to switch things up from what they were the last couple years. They got a new coach, and Coach Kelsey is trying to switch up their scheme and trying to play fast as much as possible. Watching them play, it looks like their scheme is working. They're beating ranked teams and all, I've been impressed so far."

As a class of 2026 prospect, Jordan Smith Jr. still has a year of high school basketball ahead to make his decision, unless he reclassifies.