Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images

Prime Duke Basketball Targets Entertain Idea of Joining Forces

Originally posted on Duke Blue Devils on SI
By Matt Giles | Last updated Apr 12, 2025 7:08 PM ET

There's no doubt that St. John Bosco High School (Calif.) point guard Brandon McCoy Jr. and Paul VI Catholic High School (Va.) shooting guard Jordan Smith Jr. are priority 2026 targets for fourth-year Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer. Not only do they account for two-thirds of the Blue Devils' reported wishlist in the cycle, but they were also the first in their class to visit the blueblood program.

Plus, it's worth noting that McCoy and Smith toured the campus in Durham the same weekend in early November.

Brandon McCoy Jr and Jordan Smith Jr on their official visits to Duke!

pic.twitter.com/dtaiZKV4aN
— Blue Devils (@BlueDevils) November 2, 2024

And despite playing their high school ball on opposite coasts, they have formed a friendship while never ruling out the possibility of teaming up at the next level.

"I think so," McCoy, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound five-star who ranks No. 2 overall on the 247Sports 2026 Composite, told NBA TV's Krysten Peek this week about whether he could envision forming a package deal with Smith in college. "I mean, location isn't really a problem with me for school. I'm all for different types of experiences..."

Two of the best guards in the 2026 HS class teamed up at the USAB minicamp in San Antonio and were unstoppable. My interview with Brandon McCoy and Jordan Smith Jr and candid answers about recruiting and possibly playing together at the college level. pic.twitter.com/zC27vEFqtn
— Krysten Peek (@krystenpeek) April 9, 2025

Smith, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound five-star stacking up at No. 4 among the nation's current prep juniors, echoed McCoy's sentiments.

"Yeah, I would love to play with Brandon," he said. "Like, I would agree with everything he just said...We really play well together. We're compatible with each other."

"We just feed off each other really well."

This article first appeared on Duke Blue Devils on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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