Class of 2026 - SG Jordan Smith Jr. (VA) to Arkansas | Page 14 | Syracusefan.com

Class of 2026 SG Jordan Smith Jr. (VA) to Arkansas

Irt4su said:
Wow, really? I’m not being sarcastic. That’s some high praise. Any idea if Bernie’s wife is here Sunday to show him around? (The second sentence was sarcasm though)
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Smith Jr is currently ranked #2 in his class according to 247. I'm pretty sure those players I mentioned were all ranked at least top three in their class.
 
Question: if a good guard (but lower ranked) wants to commit and sign this year, would Red take him (bird in the hand) or is he all in on these guys. (Thinking roster limits/construction, not scaring these guys off).
 
Capt. Tuttle said:
Question: if a good guard (but lower ranked) wants to commit and sign this year, would Red take him (bird in the hand) or is he all in on these guys. (Thinking roster limits/construction, not scaring these guys off).
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With roster limits at 15 players now, I think the only worry would be spending too much of your nil prematurely. From what others have said about top ranked players, I doubt they'd be scared off by lower ranked freshmen. I'd imagine that's especially true with guards, as Autry likes his 3 guard lineups.
 
Capt. Tuttle said:
Question: if a good guard (but lower ranked) wants to commit and sign this year, would Red take him (bird in the hand) or is he all in on these guys. (Thinking roster limits/construction, not scaring these guys off).
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It's a great question and discussion point. For one, I don't think either Rippey or Smith would be scared off by anyone. They're both top 10 players in this class. Now, certainly, we'll want to know if Nait George comes back for his senior year. Does Luke Fennell play a decent amount; what's his outlook? What about Womack? Kiyan and Jordan are both SGs, but Kiyan can also slot into the 3 spot. Regarding Red taking a lower-ranked guard, my main thing here is, I don't know who Syracuse is actively recruiting at this point in 2026 beyond Smith, Rippey, Elson and Walters (from 2027). It's getting to be somewhat later in this recruiting cycle, although both Rippey and Smith will likely sign during the regular period next spring. The interesting wrinkle is we're seeing more G Leaguers and international pros eyeing college, based on some recent eligibility cases (Louisville, for one). Could Syracuse take a look at a pro or two? Perhaps.
 
Capt. Tuttle said:
Question: if a good guard (but lower ranked) wants to commit and sign this year, would Red take him (bird in the hand) or is he all in on these guys. (Thinking roster limits/construction, not scaring these guys off).
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The way it feels like on the outside. These guys are waiting to commit. Would Rippey and Smith be waiting to commit if we weren’t involved and a serious contender. I’m pretty sure all the other programs they are considering have stability. Red probably sees it as if we perform and he can establish stability, we will be able to close the deal and get Rippey and/or Smith. We will also be sending some guys to the draft if we perform. If we don’t perform, it’s all moot. Red is a very perplexing leader at the moment, but despite some embarrassment last season, we have managed to get elite portal players and high school players and now even battling Duke again. If he gets results this season, a lot people will be eating crow, including myself. I was so done with him in January.
 
If Jordan and/or Rippey commit, it would be with the assurance that they will start. It would mean that Fennell, George or any other guard be willing to come off the bench or transfer regardless of how well they play this season. For our program to become elite, which is the goal, we will need 5 star players to come in and be one and done lottery picks.
 
Hopkins16 said:
If Jordan and/or Rippey commit, it would be with the assurance that they will start. It would mean that Fennell, George or any other guard be willing to come off the bench or transfer regardless of how well they play this season. For our program to become elite, which is the goal, we will need 5 star players to come in and be one and done lottery picks.
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Wouldn’t be George IMO. Good chance we move forward playing 3 guards.
 
Hopkins16 said:
If Jordan and/or Rippey commit, it would be with the assurance that they will start. It would mean that Fennell, George or any other guard be willing to come off the bench or transfer regardless of how well they play this season. For our program to become elite, which is the goal, we will need 5 star players to come in and be one and done lottery picks.
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does George have another year?
 
Hopkins16 said:
If Jordan and/or Rippey commit, it would be with the assurance that they will start. It would mean that Fennell, George or any other guard be willing to come off the bench or transfer regardless of how well they play this season. For our program to become elite, which is the goal, we will need 5 star players to come in and be one and done lottery picks.
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This ^^^ is (more than a bit) overstated. For instance, there is really only two programs ever to go with this specific model: Duke and Kentucky. So many other programs (icky to say, but UConn, Nova, Michigan State ... even Kansas) have won with upperclassmen on the roster.
 
Hopkins16 said:
If Jordan and/or Rippey commit, it would be with the assurance that they will start. It would mean that Fennell, George or any other guard be willing to come off the bench or transfer regardless of how well they play this season. For our program to become elite, which is the goal, we will need 5 star players to come in and be one and done lottery picks.
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Rippey would not come in and replace George. He might play along side him, but a freshman is not coming in to replace a senior. George was just listed on one preseason website as a top ten player in the ACC as a junior. If SU brought in both Rippey and Smith they would not both start.
 
hoopsupstate said:
Rippey would not come in and replace George. He might play along side him, but a freshman is not coming in to replace a senior. George was just listed on one preseason website as a top ten player in the ACC as a junior. If SU brought in both Rippey and Smith they would not both start.
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Plus, Melo’s kid will start year 2.
 
Well, Rippey and Smith aren’t coming here to play behind or split time with George and/or Kiyan when they will instantly start at Duke, Kentucky or Arkansas.
 
SU94 said:
This ^^^ is (more than a bit) overstated. For instance, there is really only two programs ever to go with this specific model: Duke and Kentucky. So many other programs (icky to say, but UConn, Nova, Michigan State ... even Kansas) have won with upperclassmen on the roster.
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Agreed. Seeing that posted is ignorant in this era of hoops.
 
hoopsupstate said:
You don’t think those three teams aren’t going to have some studs returning? Get real!
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If they do have studs returning, where do you think they would fare better? At NBA factory schools with an undebatable track record or SU?
 

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