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Tyran Stokes, the consensus No. 1 men’s basketball recruit for next season, announced his commitment to Kansas on Tuesday, ending a long, drawn-out recruiting spree that hinged on everything from who his coach would be to what sneaker he would wear.
Stokes made the announcement during “Inside the NBA” on ESPN.
The 6-foot-7 forward from Ranier Beach High School in Seattle has long been considered the top prospect in his class. With an uncanny ability to drive to the basket, Stokes scored 63 points in a game against West Seattle this past season, and he was one of the stars of the McDonald’s All-American, putting up 12 points and nine boards in leading the West team to victory.
“Honestly, it’s been a long process ever since I got my first offer, I think going to high school,” he said. “Ever since then, it’s been having college coaches talk to me, having good relationships with different coaches. It takes a lot.”
Stokes had trimmed his list to Oregon, Kansas and Kentucky, but the Ducks recently dropped out, leaving the race for the likely one-and-done prospect for a showdown between two of college basketball’s bluebloods.
“Rock Chalk, man. Rock Chalk,” Stokes said.
The Jayhawks, who landed the nation’s top-ranked recruit a year ago in Darryn Peterson, had been considered the favorite ever since Stokes visited campus about a year ago. But one of the questions was whether Stokes, who signed a multi-year NIL deal with Nike last year, would play for one of the flagship schools of his biggest rival, adidas.
There was also the question of whether Jayhawks coach Bill Self would return for another season amid several health issues in recent years. The Hall of Famer put that to rest when he announced earlier this month that he would be back for his 24th season.
Kentucky, a high-profile Nike school, recently had Stokes back on campus for another unofficial visit, raising hopes coach Mark Pope could land the gap. Pope even reportedly offered former NBA player Jamal Crawford, who had served as an assistant on Stokes’ high school team, a position on his own staff this coming season.
The Jayhawks definitely needed Stokes in the lineup.
Not only did they lose Peterson to the NBA, as expected, they also saw big men Flory Bidunga (Louisville) and Bryson Tiller (Missouri) leave through the transfer portal, along with guards Elmarko Jackson (Georgetown) and Jamari McDowell (Wake Forest).
They shored up some of the roster by landing Utah forward Keanu Dawes, Toledo guard Leroy Blyden Jr. and 7-foot-2 center Christian Reeves of Charleston. They also have one of the nation’s best high school classes in the fold, led by five-star point guard Taylen Kinney and four-star prospects Davion Adkins, Trent Perry and Luke Barnett.
Still, the Jayhawks lacked the kind of scoring Stokes could provide their reshaped roster.
Kentucky has also been busy rebuilding its roster, adding Washington transfer Zoom Diallo, Furman’s Alex Wilkins and international prospect Ousmane N’Diaye to go with prep recruits Mason Williams and Zyon Hawthorne.
But like the Jayhawks, the Wildcats had hoped Stokes could make up for what they’ve lost. That includes floor leaders Denzel Aberdeen (Florida), Andrija Jelavic (Ohio State), Mouhamed Dioubate (LSU) and Brandon Garrison (Alabama), among others.
Report from the Associated Press.
