Tyran Stokes has been under the recruiting microscope his entire high school career — much longer than he’ll actually be in college — and things have only magnified with his college program still undecided.
Stokes spent the week in Portland, Ore., participating in practices for Team USA as they prepared to play in the 27th Nike Hoop Summit. Team USA edged out Team World 102-100 Saturday night in a back-and-forth battle that showcased some of the best high school talent in the country.
Arizona pledge Caleb Holt led the way for Team USA with 24 points, 8 rebounds, 7 steals and 2 assists while Stokes, the No. 1-ranked player in the class, added 15 points and 2 steals in the win. Stokes is still uncommitted but is taking a visit to Kentucky on Monday to meet with head coach Mark Pope and his new staff.
“It’s a different coaching staff since the last time I was on campus, so just being able to go out there and talk to them and see what their plan is for me,” Stokes told Hoops HQ.
Mark Pope let go of assistant coaches Alvin Brooks III and Josh Hart and added Mo Williams to his staff since the end of Kentucky’s season.
Stokes doesn’t have an official list and schools like Washington and Oregon have been in the mix, but most believe it’s a two-man race between Kentucky and Kansas.
“Coach (Bill) Self and coach (Kurtis) Townsend and the rest of the staff have just been keeping me in the loop with what’s going on and who they’re looking at and players they want to put me and TK (Taylen Kinney) with if I were to go there,” Stokes said. “Just being able to talk to them and listen to conversations and see what players they’re getting, it just helps me prepare and they’re really locked in on trying to get me.”
The visit to Kentucky will provide some clarity for the five-star recruit and projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 NBA Draft, and a decision should be coming in the next couple of weeks. “The plan is to at least try to get this done early, but you never know what could happen in the next few days,” Stokes said of his commitment. “I just want to be able to lock down who’s coming in the portal, who’s staying, who’s leaving, and that stuff will help me and my decision.”
Stokes, a 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward, has been playing up almost his entire high school career and has played alongside AJ Dybantsa, the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, for two years. The duo teamed up at Prolific Prep, played for the Oakland Soldiers on Nike’s EYBL and won two gold medals with Team USA the U17 FIBA World Cup and U19 FIBA World Cup.
“When you’re a freshman or sophomore and you watch all your seniors come and go and they tell you about their experiences in college or how it was their first year,” Stokes said. “So just having those conversations, I’ve been prepared for college and the college game for some time now. I have a few former teammates in the NBA now too, so being able to have those conversations has really helped me.”
The battle between Kentucky and Kansas also has shoe implications. Stokes is a Nike-sponsored athlete and if he were to choose Kansas, he would be wearing adidas during practices and games. Kentucky, a Nike school, has the edge in that department. Even while participating at the McDonald’s All American game a few weeks ago, Stokes wore Nike shoes and even went as far as selling his adidas sneakers that all players received.
Regardless of the battle between Nike and adidas, Stokes said the most important factors in his decision are the relationship with the head coach, his development as a one-and-done player and the team’s ability to win. “Just feeling like I’m in the best situation for me, development-wise,” Stokes said. “My plan is to only be in college for eight months, so just being able to go there and having a coach put his trust in me and me put my trust in that coach to help me develop and be a great player.”
Whoever lands Stokes is getting a player who already has the physicality of an upperclassman, the IQ of an established floor general and someone who plays hard and has won at every level of basketball so far in his young career. For Kentucky, it might be a huge domino that could kickstart players committing in the portal, and for Kansas, it would be the best point-forward tandem in college basketball alongside Kinney.
Wherever Stokes lands, the gym will be packed next season with scouts and executives coming out to watch the projected top pick in next year’s NBA draft.
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