BY ZACH SMART
BROOKLYN, NY–With Arkansas assistant coach Brad Calipari on hand and Arkansas head coach John Calipari later making his way into the building at Achievement First HS, Class of 2026 five-star recruit Jordan Smith Jr. picked up where he left off at City of Palms.
Following a 40-point game (underscored a rapid fire 29-point first half scoring barrage) in a 90-60 win over Garfield Heights and a 31-point performance complete with the game sealing block over Stepinac, Smith prolonged his sparkling 2025 Holiday hot streak at the The MADE Hoops Jordan Holiday Classic.
Smith scored 20 points on 8-for-15 shooting, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, spearheading Paul VI to a 68-62 victory over Long Island Lutheran.
Smith added eight assists and four blocks, including a pair in the trenches against guys half a foot taller than him. He added two steals.
A dieseled-up and electrifying 6-foot-3 guard, he of the 6-foot-9 wingspan, Smith set a loud and reverberating tone during the first six minutes of the game.
He displayed his now reliable outside shooting touch, sticking a straight on 3-pointer off the dribble and then burying another trey off the catch.
Smith then stuck jumper from the elbow on the move.
Multiple possessions later, Smith broke free from a double team and glided to the rim for a pulsating left handed dunk.
LUHI, playing without five star Dylan Mingo (who will decide between Penn State, North Carolina, Washington, and Baylor), was led by 29 points from Cincinnati-bound guard Kayden Allen.
Arkansas first drew Smith’s attention last year, when the Razorbacks ramped up their recruitment of the physical, explosive point guard.
Smith recalled watching the backcourt of then point guard Boogie Fland (now at Florida) and DJ Wagner helping propel the team to a victory over 7 footer Danny Wolf (currently a rookie with the Brooklyn Nets) and Michigan during the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden.
“It’s unique because all of those freshmen, they are in a similar position as me,” Smith told ZAGSBLOG.
“They want to see how (Coach) Cal will utilize them. (Arkansas staff’s) message is come in, be impactful and be like them.”
Smith recently whittled his choices down to Arkansas, Duke, Georgetown, Indiana, Kentucky and Syracuse.
His projected time table is “February-March,” as his father, “Big” Jordan Smith, explained to ZAGSBLOG last week.
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