Front Row (L-R): Troy Tomlin, Colin Byrd, Aaron Bryant, Jaquan Womack, Jordan Smith Jr., Lawrence “Turk” Brown, Jordan Hunter

Back Row (L-R): Andrew Ross, Dylan Harsanyi, Matthew Mena, Jacob Moore, Derek “Beau” Daniels, Adlan Elamin, Aiden Acquah, Cooper Sundra, Cole Perez

The defending MaxPreps national champion Panthers are returning back to the Classic as they try to improve on their runner-up finish in 2021. A new-look squad for head coach Glenn Farello will be the talking point as the Panthers graduated five seniors: Darren Harris (Duke), Patrick Ngongba (Duke), Garrett Sundra (Notre Dame), Ben Hammond (Virginia Tech) and Isaiah Abraham (UConn).

Replacing five key pieces isn’t easy, but Paul VI will be led by 4-star Utah State signee Adlan Elamin and Jordan Smith Jr. (#6 in ESPN 2026 class). Smith (offered by 25+ colleges including Syracuse, Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and UConn) is a returning starter and also helped the USA Men’s U17 National Team win the gold this summer.

Towson signee Jaquan Womack and junior Jordan Hunter (24/7’s #22 SG) will be counted on in larger roles. Other key returnees are senior forward Jacob Moore and junior guard Colin Byrd. Junior Lawrence “Turk” Brown and sophomores Derek “Beau” Daniels, Matthew Mena, and Andrew Ross highlight the newcomers, who will continue to try to push the tempo and run. The goals are high once again for the Panthers who are trying to win their fourth consecutive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title as well as their fourth straight VISAA Division I state championship.