Jordan Smith Jr.
| No. 23 â Arkansas Razorbacks | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Point guard / shooting guard | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Conference | Southeastern Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 11, 2007 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6Â ft 2Â in (1.88Â m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 205Â lb (93Â kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Paul VI Catholic (Chantilly, Virginia) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| College | Arkansas (2026âpresent) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career highlights | |||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Jordan Robert Smith Jr. (born September 11, 2007) is an American college basketball player for the Arkansas Razorbacks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). He was a five-star recruit, earning the 2025 FIBA Under-19 World Cup Defensive MVP and 2026 National High School Player of the Year honors as a senior.
Early life
[edit]Smith was born on September 11, 2007.[1] At age four, he became interested in basketball after watching his father, Jordan Sr., play in a local Washington, D.C. league.[2] He attended Stuart-Hobson Middle School and St. Francis Xavier School in Washington, D.C. before entering Paul VI Catholic High School in Chantilly, Virginia, where he became a top basketball player.[2]
He missed some of his freshman season due to injury, but then led Paul VI Catholic to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) championship as a sophomore in 2023â24.[2] In 2024â25, Smith averaged 18.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game while helping Paul VI Catholic to a repeat title, with Smith scoring 29 points in a four-point victory in the championship.[3] For his performance, he was selected MaxPreps Junior All-American and the MaxPreps National Junior of the Year.[3]
Smith also was a top player in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).[4] A member of Team Takeover, he helped them to the Peach Jam championship in 2022, the Peach Jam title in 2023, and in 2024, averaged 12.1 points and 5.7 rebounds as Takeover reached the semifinals.[4]
In his senior season, Smith averaged 26.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 3.2 steals per game while shooting 56.0 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from 3-point range and 72.4 percent from the free throw line.[5] He led Paul VI to win the City of Palms Classic.[6] Paul VI also won both the WCAC (Washington Catholic Athletic Conference) championship and the VISAA (Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association) Division 1 State championship.[7] Smith was the consensus national player of the year, winning all of the following awards: Gatorade National Player of the Year,[8] MaxPreps National Basketball Player of the Year,[8] Naismith Prep Player of the Year Award,[8] Mr. Basketball USA,[9] The Sporting News high school basketball player of the year,[5] and the USA Today High School Basketball Player of the Year[10]
Recruiting
[edit]Smith is a five-star recruit and a top-five player nationally in the class of 2026.[11][12] In February 2026, he committed to play college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks.[13]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Smith Jr. SG |
Washington, DC | Paul VI Catholic (VA) | 6Â ft 3Â in (1.91Â m) | 195Â lb (88Â kg) | Feb 13, 2026Â | |
Recruit ratings: Rivals:Â  Â Â Â 247Sports:Â Â Â Â ESPN:Â Â Â Â (98) | ||||||
| Overall recruit ranking:Â Â Â Rivals: 3Â Â Â 247Sports: 2Â Â Â ESPN: 3 | ||||||
Sources:
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International career
[edit]Smith trained with the United States national under-16 basketball team in 2023.[14] In 2024, he was selected to the U.S. national under-17 team for the 2024 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup, where he helped the U.S. win the gold medal.[4] At the World Cup, Smith averaged 5.9 points and 2.1 rebounds.[1] In June 2025, he was named to the national under-19 team for the 2025 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup, and earned defensive MVP honors.[15]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Jordan Smith Jr". Proballers.com.
- 1 2 3 Brooks Jr., Damon (February 29, 2024). "Paul VI sophomore already a top prospect". Monumental Sports Network.
- 1 2 Divens, Jordan (March 31, 2025). "MaxPreps Junior All-America Team: Jordan Smith of Paul VI headlines high school basketball's best from the Class of 2026". MaxPreps.
- 1 2 3 Drummond, Cameron (October 23, 2024). "'I'm different than other players.' Mark Pope gave a big compliment to this UK recruit". Lexington Herald-Leader. p. B5 â via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "#23 Jordan Smith Jr". University of Arkansas. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- â RolÃģn, Ricardo (24 December 2025). "Paul VI Catholic High wins 2025 City of Palms Championship". News-Press. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - â "Jordan Smith Jr. '26". Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Jordan Smith Jr. '26". Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- â "Jordan Smith Jr. Named Mr. Basketball USA!". Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- â Newman, Logan (9 April 2026). "Jordan Smith Jr. named ALL-USA Boys Basketball Player of the Year". Jordan Smith Jr. named ALL-USA Boys Basketball Player of the Year. USA TODAY HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - â Black, Ryan (May 25, 2025). "Top Targets". The Courier-Journal. p. B5 â via Newspapers.com.
- â Pignatello, Connor (January 18, 2024). "Syracuse working to get 5-star guard in 2026 class to visit". The Post-Standard. p. B4 â via Newspapers.com.
- â Collier, Jackson (February 13, 2026). "What Arkansas is getting in five star guard Jordan Smith Jr". On3.com.
- â "Jordan Smith Jr". USA Basketball.
- â Divens, Jordan (June 20, 2025). "Caleb Holt, Brandon McCoy, Jordan Smith and Tyran Stokes headline USA Basketball U19 men's national team roster". MaxPreps.
