By ADAM ZAGORIA
Jordan Smith Jr. went off in the City of Palms championship game Tuesday night.
And Duke coach Jon Scheyer was there to watch him.
Smith went for 31 points and won the City of Palms MVP Award as Paul VI (VA) beat Archbishop Stepinac (NY), 57-53, at the prestigious tournament in Fort Myers, Fla.
That followed a 34-point performance in the semifinals against St. Louis (MO) Principia.
Jordan Smith Jr. went OFF (yes, yet again) in the City of Palms championship in front of Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer and led Paul VI to a 🏆
— MADE Hoops (@madehoops) December 24, 2025
He dropped 31 points and also won the City of Palms MVP Award🔥🤩@sm23itty @PVIHoops @CityOfPalmsBKB pic.twitter.com/JQqXPnKGyV
Duke, of course, has a long tradition of landing PVI players, including current guard Darren Harris and former Blue Devils Trevor Keels and Jeremy Roach.
Smith Jr., the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2026 class, is down to six schools in Arkansas, Duke, Georgetown, Indiana, Kentucky and Syracuse.
“Duke is certainly in the mix,” ESPN’s Paul Biancardi said on air. “But don’t count out Georgetown, Arkansas, Syracuse, Indiana, Kentucky [are] right there.”
“February-March,” Jordan’s father “Big” Jordan Smith told ZAGSBLOG of a potential commitment timeline.
Duke is also heavily involved for Bruce Branch, the five-star Prolific Prep (FL) small forward who reclassified from 2027 to 2026.
“I like Duke,” Branch told Rivals’ Joe Tipton. “Jon Scheyer came to one of our practices. Really cool guy. It was just a quick, nice-to-meet-you type of thing. He said he wants us at Duke and stuff like that. Honestly, really cool guy. Like I said, I’m all about relationships.”
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