NEW YORK CITY - Rivals.com’s Travis Graf was on hand in New York at the MADE Hoops Jordan Holiday Classic once again, checking out a lot of top talent from the northeast.
Here are the final takeaways from the event.
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More from the Jordan Holiday Classic: Day 2 Takeaways | Day 1 Takeaways
2023 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position
2024 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team
2025 Rankings: Top 40
Transfer Portal: Latest news
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Ian Jackson nearing decision
Jackson tells Rivals that he will have a decision “coming soon”. He visits North Carolina on January 6 and it’s assumed that the Tar Heels are in the top two for Jackson along with Kentucky.
I entered a FutureCast for Kentucky back in July and don’t plan on changing it at this time.
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Jaiden Glover will rise in the rankings
Glover is going to make a splash in the next update in the Rivals150 for the junior class. He showed off a smooth game on Wednesday, using craftiness to score near the basket as well as hitting outside shots.
He was a top-10 performer on Cerebro Sports for the entire event, and finished the game with 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting and shot 4-of-7 from behind the arc as well. He also added seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals to his stat line.
Glover tells Rivals that Texas Tech, Butler, Rhode Island, UNLV, Penn State, Nebraska and Temple are recruiting him hard, and he’s planning unofficial visits to Nebraska, Temple and Penn State.
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Elmarko Jackson and Papa Kante shine in win
Kansas signee Elmarko Jackson and Michigan signee Papa Kante combined for 45 points in a win on Thursday afternoon, and both guys were considered top-20 performers according to Cerebro Sports.
Jackson dominated the point of attack at both ends and excelled at getting down hill and getting to the rim or getting paint touches and facilitating for teammates. The four-star guard is projected to received a very nice bump in the upcoming rankings update and could be approaching five-star status. Jackson finished with 21 points, five rebounds and eight assists while shooting 60-percent from behind the arc.
Kante was the sixth-best performer at the event according to Cerebro Sports. He scored 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting, with a lot of his baskets coming off of strong dunks set up by Johnson. Kante also added in 10 rebounds.
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Will Riley passes eye test
Riley was inconsistent at times and has an unorthodox game of sorts, but his upside is undeniable. He’s efficient in getting to his spots and is a crafty mover on the offensive end, especially in the mid-range. At 6-foot-7 and still growing, there’s a lot of potential to tap into during his first high school season in America.
Riley tells Rivals that the main programs involved early on are LSU, Arkansas, Alabama, Notre Dame, Kansas State, Georgia Tech and NJIT. He’s a player that could possibly crack the top-25 in the updated rankings.
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Tyler Jackson shines yet again
Jackson was my overall top breakout player for the event, along with 2024 wing V.J. Edgecombe. He’s already ranked inside the top-40 for the 2025 class, but he showed play after play that even that is too low for him despite it being a loaded class.
Through two games, Jackson averaged 29 points per game and lead the event in three-pointers made at nine total while shooting 53-percent from behind the arc. The term is overused, but Jackson showed true three-level scoring ability and was efficient from all over the court. There was a point in time on Thursday when he had scored 24 points in just 13 minutes.
After his second great performance, he received an offer from Kansas, who was in attendance.
