Kentucky basketball target Tyran Stokes could be nearing final decision, per report
By David Wasson
Published:
The most pursued prep basketball prospect in the current cycle is reportedly nearing his collegiate decision, as Tyran Stokes could announce his choice between Kansas and Kentucky as early as Monday.
Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman reported that Stokes, a coveted 6-foot-7 small forward from Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, could go either will Bill Self’s Kansas Jayhawks or Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats.
Ranked No. 1 in the nation according to 247 Sports Composite, Stokes is a McDonald’s All-American with a 7-foot wingspan that is built like a forward but can also make plays like a guard. He made an official visit to Kentucky on June 8, 2025, and an official visit to Kansas on April 18, 2025, before naming the Jayhawks, Wildcats, Oregon, Louisville and USC his final five potential destinations.
Stokes’ Rainier Beach Vikings went 29-1 in his senior season and captured Washington’s Class 3A state championship. He dropped 31 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals a game in 2025-26, shooting 53 percent from the field and 78 percent from the free-throw line en route to being named the 2025-26 MaxPreps Washington High School Basketball Player of the Year.
Pope tried his best to help lure Stokes to Lexington, hiring Rainier Beach assistant and former Kentucky standout Jamal Crawford onto his staff in recent weeks.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
