The acquisition of the Kansas men’s basketball program’s second No. 1-ranked player in as many years became complete on Wednesday morning when head coach Bill Self announced the signing of wing Tyran Stokes.
Stokes, who is 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds and originally from Louisville, Kentucky, had revealed his commitment on Tuesday night on ESPN’s “NBA Tip-Off.” With the ink dry on Wednesday, Self was able to share his first public comments on the player he called “as versatile a youngster that I’ve ever recruited.”
“He can score and he’s a terrific rebounder,” Self added in KU’s press release. “He’s powerful and can be a great facilitator, and maybe what he does best is pass the basketball. He’s had far more exposure to basketball than most kids his age and will come in here with the ability to live up to the lofty expectations that will be placed on him by others.”
Stokes played high school basketball initially at Prolific Prep, then at Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks, California, and most recently at Rainier Beach in Seattle, where he averaged 31 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals per game in leading his team to a state championship.
He visited KU twice, first a year ago and then in January for the Jayhawks’ game against BYU, and ultimately picked the Jayhawks over Kentucky and Oregon.
Self credited longtime assistant coach Kurtis Townsend for leading KU’s recruitment of Stokes (after he did the same with the Jayhawks’ previous No. 1 prospect, Darryn Peterson, in the 2025 cycle).
“We look forward to welcoming him and his mother into our Kansas basketball family,” Self said.
Stokes was a McDonald’s All-American and recently received MVP honors at the Jordan Brand Classic, where he racked up 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Despite being a Nike Basketball athlete — he signed a deal with the brand last October — he ultimately chose KU, an Adidas school, over a pair of Nike contenders.
He joins fellow Kentucky native Taylen Kinney, another McDonald’s All-American, in the Jayhawks’ signing class. KU has also signed freshmen Davion Adkins, Luke Barnett and Trent Perry and transfers Leroy Blyden Jr. (Toledo) and Keanu Dawes (Utah); it has not yet announced the signing of committed center Christian Reeves (Charleston).
