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New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Tyran Stokes or Jordan Smith Jr.? College hoops coaches on their favorite players in 2026
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — When it comes to the 2026 recruiting class, two players have separated from the pack: Tyran Stokes and Jordan Smith Jr. Stokes, a 6-foot-7, 245-pound forward, has been the consensus No. 1 player in the 2026 class according to talent evaluators for years now, but he might not be the overwhelming top player any longer. Based on conversations with college coaches last weekend at Peach Jam, Nike's annual championship tournament for its circuit, Stokes is the most polarizing player in this class, and Smith, a 6-2 guard with a 6-9 wingspan, is a player coaches believe can immediately impact winning. The duo dominated our poll when we asked 35 coaches which player they would most like to have from the 2026 class. Advertisement And in somewhat of a surprise, Smith barely outpaced Stokes. This is the conclusion of our Peach Jam coaches' poll, which also included what coaches think about NCAA Tournament expansion and the future of revenue sharing/budgets. Coaches were granted anonymity in exchange for their candor. Below, we also asked coaches whether they believe eligibility rules should be changed to allow for a fifth year of eligibility. Here are the results. (Note: Two coaches picked two players.) Big Ten assistant: 'Motor, impacts winning at the highest level of anyone. College body. Can come in and help a team right away.' ACC assistant: 'Toughest player I've ever seen play the game. Winner, best defensive player, every 50-50 is his. And if you want to have a chance to win a national championship, you get those players.' SEC head coach: 'NBA body ready. He just guards the ball. He just dominates the ball, and he's just fierce.' Big Ten assistant: 'He will change your program.' Mountain West assistant: 'I'm watching Tyran Stokes — I think the kid's an absolute stud, he's awesome — but I'm not saying you're going to take him No. 1 in the draft. (If) that's the No. 1 player in the country? There's nobody. 'He's just so physically gifted. LeBron (James) looks like a fish out of water in terms of strength and physicality in the NBA, and that's what Stokes is going to look like in college. He's a Zion-ish (type) where you just can't stay in front of him.' SEC assistant: 'Have you seen him?' Diane, a 7-1 center from Norwalk, Iowa, and the No. 15 player in the class (per 247Sports), was the only other player to pick up multiple votes. Big 12 assistant: 'I just think what he does translates the most to the college game. You look at the four Final Four teams, they had the best, deepest front lines in college basketball. Front courts don't win in the NBA, but they win in college.' Advertisement Atlantic 10 head coach: 'Rebounds, runs the floor, has super high motor. He can handle it and dribble. He can operate as a hub, and then he's just a monster in the post, monster rim runner, runs so hard, puts so much stress on the defense. Just plays so hard. He's so physical. He's fantastic.' Big Ten assistant: 'I would always start with a point guard. I'd go with Deron Rippey. He's just a dynamic playmaker as a point guard. I think he's going to be a great four-year college player who wins 120 games and goes to two Final Fours.' Big 12 head coach: 'Ethan Taylor. Seven-footer who catches the ball and can score and doesn't have an ego and plays hard. He comes off the bench on his team, and he might be the best player on the team.' Big Ten assistant: 'I want tough kids, culture kids, kids who want to be coached hard. That's harder and harder to find. But Jasiah Jervis (NY Rens) and Julius Avent (PSA Cardinals) are two of those kind of kids.' This past season was the final year of the extra year of eligibility for athletes who competed in the 2020-21 season — known as the COVID-19 year. There are still a handful of players using a fifth season because they competed that year and then might have also had a medical redshirt season, but we're closer to the old standard: You have five years to play four. Several players have tried to sue for an extra year of eligibility, and chatter around college athletics is that eventually the NCAA might allow for a fifth year of eligibility. The NCAA Division II Management Council recommended this week that its executive board sponsor a proposal for the 2026 NCAA Convention that would allow athletes to compete in five seasons of competition during their first 10 semesters or 15 quarters of enrollment. We asked coaches whether they were for or against such a proposal. Big 12 assistant: 'I think it should be normalized. So many of these kids, their first year is their most frustrating year, and a fifth year just needs to be normalized in college to where these kids and their people and their circles don't hold programs hostage for first-year success. We've got to get back to where, your first year, it's okay to develop. And if fifth-year eligibility helps the groupthink with that, then I'm all about it.' Advertisement ACC head coach: 'With all the transferring now, most kids need five years now to graduate — if we're still going to even pretend like we're trying to graduate kids academically. I think five years makes a lot of sense. Most college kids — normal college students — take five years now to graduate. So it would make sense, stand to reason, that a student-athlete get five years, too.' Big East assistant: 'In football, 30 percent of a football season, a guy gets to start four games at quarterback and transfer and get the year back. For us, we've had young players that we knew weren't going to play that much, and if we put them in the game for a minute in the opener, they're done for the season. So it's hard to get these guys a true understanding of where they are in the rotation after an exhibition game and a scrimmage. So if you have five years, you have a little bit more leeway there.' SEC assistant: 'You got five years to play five. Don't care how you do it, no more redshirt, no more blueshirt, no more all the shirts.' Atlantic 10 head coach: 'It gets rid of any waiver, any BS. Everybody knows you got five years. It takes out an injury unless you have two injuries. You get five years to play however many years you can. NCAA needs as few things that they can get sued on as possible.' Conference USA assistant: 'I'm OK with it, because it's a money-maker for those (fifth-year) players. It keeps NBA-fringe guys here, in the states, longer, instead of going overseas.' ACC head coach: 'I don't like it. I'd rather still have the option to redshirt, but the fact that we're giving kids five seasons now, I think, is ridiculous.' ACC assistant: 'Everything kind of got screwed up with the COVID year; obviously, a lot of guys got fifth years — and sometimes sixth years — so it appeared we were going away from the traditional way. I think now is the time for us to get back to that, and I like that. Obviously, if it weren't for NIL, from the player standpoint, there wouldn't be this push to stay in college for as long. So we're seeing one affect the other.' Advertisement Big 12 head coach: 'Where does it stop? I mean, if you get a fifth, then what's a sixth? I don't even know where the end comes. It makes sense if we could figure out how to not be more than five, but to me, if it's five, then it keeps going.' Big 12 assistant: 'I just hate seeing 26- and 27-year-olds playing college basketball. I wish they would change it that if your coach left, then sure, you got 45 days or whatever to transfer, but a one-time transfer rule where you play right away or else you got to sit out a year so that it's not just free agency every year like it is now.' SEC head coach: 'They talk about coaches having workarounds and finding workarounds; I think players, families, agents are gonna find workarounds to try to extend their length of college because the majority of them are gonna make way more money in college than they are after college.' West Coast Conference head coach: 'I think the old model of five years to play four worked so well, and you had that extra year in case they got hurt. The academic piece has been totally lost in this. There are guys who have gotten a sixth or seven year with so many waivers. It's crazy. Also, if we gave everyone five years, what's going to happen to all the records we value so much? Then again, maybe if everyone is transferring every year or two, we don't need to worry about records being broken.' (Photo of Tyran Stokes: Chris Day / The Commercial Appeal / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Louisville's Mikel Brown leads Team USA U19 basketball 2025 to gold in FIBA World Cup
A trio of basketball players with local ties is bringing home gold medals from a dominant run with Team USA at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland. Louisville freshman Mikel Brown Jr., Kentucky freshman Jasper Johnson and Tyran Stokes, a 502 native who is the top recruit in the Class of 2026, helped the U.S. notch a bounce-back performance in the tournament after it failed to reach the podium in 2023 — going 7-0 and taking down Germany, 109-76, in Sunday's championship. Brown, a McDonald's All-American who is projected to be a lottery pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, earned all-tournament honors. The 6-foot-3 point guard led Team USA in scoring (14.9 points on 46.7% shooting) and assists (6.1 against 2.1 turnovers) across roughly 23 minutes per game. He went for 12 points on 4-for-13 shooting with four assists and two rebounds in 24:35 of run against Germany on Sunday. Incoming BYU freshman AJ Dybantsa was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. Johnson, a consensus top-25 player in the Class of 2025, averaged eight points on 46.3% shooting (40.1% from 3) with 1.6 assists and 1.3 rebounds across roughly 15 minutes per game. His best performance came in the semifinals, when he scored 14 points on 5-for-11 shooting in 18 minutes. He made multiple 3s in four of the seven games in Switzerland. Stokes, a 6-foot-7 forward who is being courted by both the Cardinals and the Wildcats, had 10 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's gold-medal game. He became the first American in U19 World Cup history to record a triple-double when he went for 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists during a 140-67 win over Jordan in the Round of 16. This is USA Basketball's ninth gold medal in the FIBA U19 World Cup. It last won in 2021. Reach Louisville men's basketball reporter Brooks Holton at bholton@ and follow him on X at @brooksHolton. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: USA Basketball U19: Mikel Brown, Jasper Johnson, Tyran Stokes win gold
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kentucky basketball's Mark Pope has landed homegrown stars. Tyran Stokes would be big win
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope will never be John Calipari on the recruiting trail. Nor is he trying to be, based on how he's approached his first class having a full year to recruit. While he's proven in one year to have the coaching acumen that will keep UK a top program, now he has to show he's got the recruiting chops to match. Pope's best talent so far has come from the transfer portal, and his highest-ranked recruits, Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno, are both homegrown. In going outside of the bubble, Pope's first big swing nationally in the Class of 2026 was with a pair of teammates from California. They may just be a barometer on how good Pope can be at luring the elite, top-10 recruits in a given class. Jason Crowe Jr., the No. 5 prospect in the class according to 247 Sports, is a 6-foot-4 southpaw shooting guard. His Nike Elite Youth Basketball League teammate just happens to be the top-ranked player in the class, Tyran Stokes. Pope missed on one part of the equation as Crowe announced his commitment Friday and chose Missouri over the Cats. He still has a chance with Stokes, a Louisville native. Stokes is taking the opposite approach from Crowe. The 6-8 small forward isn't saying anything. To anybody. Right now, he's keeping his thoughts on his recruiting process to himself. During Nike's Peach Jam EYBL tournament last week in North Augusta, Stokes only stopped for media inquiries to say he's not talking during Peach Jam. Stokes has only taken three official visits so far — to Kentucky, Louisville and Kansas. His mother, Keaira, moved him to California after living in Louisville until he was 9, but they still have family there and she said Stokes still considers himself a native despite spending the other half of his life on the West Coast. She joked that Stokes passed on media duties to her and added that he may make a decision before his high school season starts. 'Sometimes it's not too much, but he just wants to be Tyran not THE Tyran Stokes,' she said. 'He just wants to be that kid that he really is.' A kid in age but plays like a grown man on the court. That drew a standing-room-only crowd Thursday from crowding in Gym 3/4 on the big court in the North Augusta Parks and Recreation Center to see Crowe and Stokes play for the Oakland Soldiers. NBA star Ja Morant, flanked by security and what looked like a team of his own, sat on a corner baseline. Some YouTube influencer that all the kids seemed to know drew attention on the opposite corner from Morant. Every major program was represented on the opposite sideline including Louisville's Pat Kelsey, who is also recruiting Stokes, and Arkansas as Calipari was joined by assistant coach and former U of L head coach Kenny Payne by his side. For a time during Calipari's 15 years, if the Wildcats wanted a player, they were more than likely getting him. Pope has a chance to show he can recruit at that level, albeit not at the volume of the past conveyor belt of one-and-dones that seemed to annually replenish the roster. But in his pursuit of national championship banner No. 9, it's important that he be able to land the elite of elites. As much as it's been proven that teams don't win titles with a bevy of freshmen, what's also been true among title teams is that they all have at least one NBA first-round talent. If Pope can't close the deal on either, it's not the end of Kentucky basketball. It just might indicate he'll keep going through the transfer portal to find the best talent instead of building through high schools. Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@ follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at to make sure you never miss one of his columns. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball: Mark Pope out to show 2026 recruiting chops
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pat Kelsey has Louisville basketball recruiting at all-time high
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Pat Kelsey is the right coach at Louisville, at exactly the right time in college basketball history, to maximize the Cardinals' recruiting in a way that has never been done before. Kelsey doesn't have any more or less charisma or recruiting acumen than the coaches who came before him. But he arrived precisely when the program can wield its vast financial resources and its position among the traditionally great programs to win any recruiting battle. The Cardinals have never signed a player ranked in the top 10 in back-to-back classes this century. Kelsey has them positioned to make history. Freshman guard Mikel Brown Jr., the highest ranked recruit at Louisville since Samardo Samuels was No. 2 in 2008, was eighth in the 247Sports composite rankings for the Class of 2025. Kelsey is currently pursuing — and getting serious consideration from — several top-10 players in the Class of 2026, including Louisville native Tyran Stokes, a small forward who is No. 1 overall in the composite; Jordan Smith Jr., a guard who is third overall; and guard Dylan Mingo, who is eighth overall. Ikenna Alozie is a native of Nigeria who's been in the United States close to four years. He was a fan of Russell Westbrook and said the only college basketball program he originally knew was UCLA, because Westbrook played there. Alozie, who is also being recruited by Kentucky, knows all about Louisville now. He said Kelsey and his staff have had a consistent presence at his games. 'It's just eye-opening to me,' said Alozie, who is a 6-foot-2 guard ranked No. 10 in the 247Sports composite. If Kelsey is able to put it all together, he'll raise more than a few eyebrows nationally. Since 2000, the Cards haven't had a class with multiple top-10 players. The last time the Cards signed two players in the top 25 of a class was 2011 when Chane Behanan and Wayne Blackshear helped give them the nation's No. 3-ranked class. How much it will matter in producing a Final Four or national title run remains to be seen. There's something to be said about the shift in college basketball that began when transfers gained immediate eligibility. Coaches started to prefer putting together their rosters through the portal with experienced players instead of building through high school recruits. Elite freshmen are still highly coveted but national championships nowadays are won by veteran players, not an all-star roster of top-20 freshmen recruits. Duke made it to the 2025 Final Four with a freshman-heavy rotation led by Cooper Flagg and two other NBA lottery picks, but the Blue Devils' 2015 title team remains the last freshman-heavy team to win it all. Also keep in mind when Rick Pitino signed Russ Smith and Gorgui Dieng in 2010, neither were viewed as program-changing talents. Dieng was much more of a project than a player who would play in the NBA for a decade. Smith was a complete wildcard and certainly was not projected as someone who would have his jersey retired to the rafters of the KFC Yum! Center. Samuell Williamson, signed by Chris Mack in the Class of 2019, never developed into a star, despite being ranked 16th in the Class of 2019. His five-star rating by 247Sports remains U of L's fourth highest all-time since 2000. Higher rankings don't guarantee success just like lower rankings don't mean a program is doomed to fail. But all things being equal, coaches are going to take the best talent and take their chances. U of L is about to find out how that feels. Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@ follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at to make sure you never miss one of his columns. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville basketball recruiting thriving under Pat Kelsey in NIL era
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
No. 1 College Basketball Recruit Sends Message on Big Team USA News
No. 1 College Basketball Recruit Sends Message on Big Team USA News originally appeared on Athlon Sports. As teams around the country prepare for the next college basketball season, several top recruits will partake in international activities. Advertisement Team USA recently announced its final roster for the upcoming U19 men's basketball tournament set to take place between June 28 and July 6. Before Team USA takes off to face some of the most talented teams across the world, such as China, Slovenia and more, they will be meeting in Colorado Springs for seven days of training camp. One of the top players who was announced on the final roster was none other than the No. 1 player in the class of 2026, Tyran Stokes. Stokes shared the Team USA announcement on social media, sharing his thoughts on the race to a gold medal. "Let's go get gold," Stokes said. Tyran Stokes, Instagram Tyran Stokes, Instagram Tyran Stokes will be joined by several other top college basketball prospects. Advertisement The roster includes Brandon McCoy Jr., Koa Peat, Jordan Smith Jr., Jasper Johnson, Morez Johnson Jr., Nik Khamenia, JJ Mandaquit, Daniel Jacobsen, Caleb Holt, AJ Dybantsa and Mikel Brown Jr. Some of the biggest names rostered include the No. 1 college basketball recruit in the class of 2025, AJ Dybantsa and Duke commit Nik Khamenia. Notre Dame High School (CA) forward Tyran Stokes (4) against Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ)Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Tyran Stokes has yet to commit to a college basketball team but has been linked to several top programs, such as Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville and Alabama. Stokes is ranked as the No. 1 player in the class of 2026, leading the way over several other top recruits such as Jordan Smith, Christian Collins and Caleb Holt. Advertisement Related: Cooper Flagg Reacts to Big Announcement on Friday Related: ACC Makes Historic Cooper Flagg Announcement After Freshman Season at Duke This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 21, 2025, where it first appeared.
