Kansas coach Bill Self’s pitch to the No. 1-ranked player in the class of 2026
A little over a day removed from his visit to Lawrence, Tyran Stokes was still thinking about Kansas Jayhawks basketball.
Just ask the mother of the No. 1-ranked player in the high school recruiting class of 2026.
“He’s still excited about the visit,” mom Keaira Stokes told The Star on Monday afternoon.
The Stokeses — 6-foot-7, 245-pound forward Tyran, mom Keaira and older cousin Malik Saunders — experienced a whirlwind 32 hours or so in Lawrence.
Highlights included a brunch and dinner with the coaching staff, a photo shoot, checking out Allen Fieldhouse, watching the Kansas Relays and even getting a personalized film session with KU head coach Bill Self.
It was Stokes’ second official visit to a college campus. He previously toured his hometown university in Louisville — Stokes is from Kentucky but attends Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California.
“Kansas is beautiful. Tyran said it, too,” Keaira Stokes said. “You can go from the practice facility to the arena — everything is attached.
“For him, being out in Cali for as long as he’s been out there ... With the Midwest weather, it’s pretty cool you don’t have to leave the building.”
The photo shoot was the highlight for Keaira. And for perhaps the first time in the history of KU photo shoots — normal stuff for a top recruit’s visit — a dog was involved.
The Stokeses brought their pooch Halo along because their dog-sitter was unavailable at the last minute.
No problem. By the end of the shoot, Halo was a natural, even posing with one of the Jayhawks’ national championship trophies.
“It went really well,” Keaira said with a laugh. “After a while, he was just up under the camera guy, like, ‘Take a picture of me.’”
The Stokes clan also met directly with Self and his staff of assistant coaches. Keaira described meeting Self and assistant coach Kurtis Townsend as “amazing.”
She came away impressed by how long Self has coached at Kansas — more than two decades — and the number of KU players who have gone on to play in the NBA.
Getting ready for the NBA is a primary focus for Tyran Stokes, his mother said.
“That’s our goal — the league,” she said. “I think they have 11 (players) in the league right now? Yes, we would love to have a college championship, but the goal is to get to the league and have a sustainable career.
“What we are looking for in his college career is, who is willing and able to prepare him for the next level?”
The elder Stokes said Self told Tyran that his IQ is his best asset, but also that he should be less hesitant when shooting the ball.
She said the coach pointed that out several times during the film session.
“I’m pretty sure in the every single moment that he showed him where he hesitated and had a shot, I was probably in the stands, like, ‘What?’” Keaira Stokes said.
Self’s pitch to the Stokes family apparently was similar to what he told incoming five-star freshman Darryn Peterson last summer. He told Tyran playing at KU would be “exciting and high-energy.”
He also told him he’d be highly involved on the court as a freshman.
“He’s like, ‘Hey, we know you know this is an eight-month situation and we want to pour into you as much as we can in those eight months and get you prepared for the next level, while winning a national championship,’” Keaira recalled Self saying. “I can accept that. Tyran was in agreement with that.”
As for rumors Stokes might reclassify to the class of 2025? It doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen.
“That’s never been on the table,” Keaira Stokes said. “He’s not even NCAA-eligible because it’s never what we wanted to do. So he has to finish his senior year.
Keaira told The Star the family’s plan is to visit another hoops blueblood, Kentucky, on May 15-17. And then Tyran Stokes will play his final season at Notre Dame High.
He’s still in the early stages of his decision-making process, his mother said.
“He hasn’t exactly told me when he plans to make a decision,” she said. “He mentioned before the (high school) season starts … before his high school senior year.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2025 at 5:15 PM.
