KANSAS CITY — At the start of this spring, Tyran Stokes decided he wanted to forego his final season of AAU basketball. He preferred to work on his body, learn to move differently and develop his overall game.
Now, however, the 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward out of Notre Dame Sherman Oaks (CA) has made a glorious return to the Oakland Soldiers on the Nike EYBL circuit. And he’s showing the entire country why he’s regarded as the consensus No. 1 prospect in the Class of 2026.
Stokes was electric last weekend at the EYBL’s Session 3 in Kansas City, averaging 25.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 47 percent from the field. His most impressive game came against Team Durant on Sunday. The Soldiers trailed for most of the contest, but Stokes came alive in the second half to lead Oakland to a 78-68 win. His highlight of the weekend – a crazy showing of ball handling topped off by a poster dunk – came in that game. Stokes finished with 30 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and four steals.
“On top of being an unmatched functional athlete at this level, his natural feel for the game, instincts and baseline skillset lay the foundation for tremendous upside,” one recruiting scout in Kansas City told Hoops HQ.
When Stokes originally planned to skip AAU basketball this season, the word on the recruiting circuit was that he was going to try to reclassify into the Class of 2025. With his return to the Soldiers in Memphis during the live session and in Kansas City for Session 3, Stokes has signaled he’ll be staying put in 2026. The forward has not officially commented on why he decided to return to AAU, and his camp is not allowing him to do interviews during this summer AAU season.
Several schools are involved in Stokes recruitment including Arkansas, Gonzaga, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville and Oregon. The 5-star has 18 offers and has already visited Kansas and Louisville officially. He told ESPN’s Paul Biancardi he has plans to visit Arkansas, Gonzaga, Kentucky and Oregon at some point in the future. Stokes is originally from Louisville, and Pat Kelsey and the Cardinals look to be the favorites as of now.
If there were any questions going into the weekend that Stokes was the top player in his class, he answered them emphatically.
“It’s not even close,” Stokes’ trainer Jon McCall told Hoops HQ. “To me he was in the top three, top five regardless of class last year. Like if a lot of people — I don’t ever put him and A.J. (Dybantsa) against each other, I don’t ever compare — but it’s definitely a conversation. And if that’s a conversation with how clear A.J. was (No. 1) to me, then when it comes to this class, there’s nobody you can talk about when it comes down to Tyran.”
McCall, who currently operates as the Oakland Soldiers Director of Player Performance, has a history training top-notch athletes. It all started with Michigan star Nimari Burnett in 2019 while he was at Prolific Prep. From there, McCall trained Jalen Green, which then led into working with the Thompson twins going into their senior year at Overtime Elite. Last year, McCall was at Utah Prep for A.J. Dybantsa’s senior year. He has been working with Stokes since February.
McCall’s speciality is in developing the player’s body, specifically the fascia, or connective tissue. The fascia is what allows a player to move “gracefully and elastically,” per McCall. That’s critical in basketball because it allows the player to use his whole body to move on the court.
“For Tyran, I wanted to focus on getting him lighter on his feet, being more graceful with his landings,” McCall said. “So we did a lot of barefoot stuff, a lot of stuff in the pool just to get him to have more body control in an elusive way versus relying on just brute strength. Getting him to be able to move differently through gaps versus. trying to force his way through gaps. And then just kind of being able to work on his stability, his balance. And that will give him longevity, especially with how high he plays off the ground.”
The results have shown so far in EYBL play. Stokes has demonstrated elite body control and enhanced his movements, which has elevated his already dominating presence on the court. It almost seems like he’s been gliding through defenses, while still using his brute force and frame to finish around the basket.
Along with his sharper physical tools, Stokes displayed a mindset in Kansas City that makes him unique. “Belief,” McCall said. “It’s more than just betting on himself. He takes his mind to such a level of belief to where there’s times I watch him make a way out of no way based on that. Sometimes I see like, ‘I don’t know if we’re going to win this game.’ And then he goes on an 8-0 run by himself.”
Stokes has been known in the past for his aggressive demeanor, oftentimes trash talking opponents. He looked more mature in Kansas City. “He’s learned how to channel it more,” McCall said. “He’s gotten more poised and realized that his energy is contagious and affects the whole court, let alone his own team. So he’s channeled it a lot more into — I don’t want to just say in a positive way because sometimes you have to come a different way in order to get your teammates attention.”
This mental evolution is no accident. Stokes has been intentional about sharpening his mind and even started reading Kobe Bryant’s book, “The Mamba Mentality,” to understand how his habits translate to on-court success. Through his recovery sessions with McCall, where the two discuss film and the elements of mindset, Stokes is building a mental edge to match his physical abilities.
“He’s really focused on development,” McCall said. “So whatever decisions he makes, it’s based on getting him to the position he wants to be in the future. And he sees himself being one of the best to ever play this game.”
