By SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — From watching Tyran Stokes play for Nike EYBL’s Oakland Soldiers this summer one thing is clear: he loves the game of basketball. Stokes — the 6-foot-7, 245-pound forward from Louisville — plays with a unique intensity and passion on the court. And sometimes it seems like he never runs out of energy.
One particular story that comes to mind is from Session 4 in Kansas City. An opponent had just put up an air ball, and Stokes told the player to “keep shooting that.” When the referee stepped in to tell Stokes to lay off and stop talking smack, he just responded with, “What? I’m just telling him to shoot it.”
Another one that stands out is when the No. 2 player in 2026, Brandon McCoy, threw down a monster two-hand dunk with Stokes in the area. The two exchanged words after the play, and then Stokes dared him to guard him all game like he was guarding McCoy. But where exactly does this competitive edge come from?
“Just my passion for the game,” Stokes told ZAGSBLOG. “Some people go out there and just bullshit. But I don’t ever take games lightly. I want to win every game. I don’t really like losing. So I think that’s where it comes from, just not wanting to lose.”
Stokes has had a busy Saturday. He started the day by transferring from Prolific Prep to Notre Dame Sherman Oaks high school. He ended the day by scoring 25 points to lead the Oakland Soldiers to an 83-60 win over the Indy Heat in their first game at Peach Jam.
As for Stokes decision to transfer?
“Prep school, it’s great playing against the best of the best,” Stokes said. “But it’s not that real high school experience that I never got a chance to be a part of.”
Stokes is mostly looking forward to being at Notre Dame in Los Angeles because of the ability to work out with pro players and pro trainers.
“There’s a lot of resources out there,” Stokes said. “Some of my closest friends are out there. You know, just being able to go and get some of the best work that I can before the next level.”
This summer overall has been a busy one for Stokes. Most recently before Peach Jam, the forward played with the 17u Team USA squad in Turkey. And he was a huge part in why Team USA won gold, averaging 12.3 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.6 assists throughout the seven-game event.
“It was a good experience, going out of the country with some of my top friends, you know, the best players in the country,” Stokes said. “Just going there, showcasing that we were the greatest U17 Team ever and just win gold.”
This biggest thing Stokes learned from Team USA was getting used to being uncomfortable. In Turkey he was far away from home. The food was different. He was surrounded by different people. But Stokes had to adapt. Another plus from the experience was he got to play with one of his good buddies, McCoy.
“Me and Brandon have been best friends since fourth grade,” Stokes said. “We played against each other one time and then after that we started playing with each other. Ever since then, we’ve just had that best friend bond. We’ve just been friends for so long.”
Stokes most recently overtook McCoy for the top spot in 247Sports’ class of 2026 rankings. He said the two don’t really pay attention to who’s on top or give each other crap about it.
“We talked about it when we were younger,” Stokes said. “We’re going to be the top two players in the country. And it goes to show that whatever we do, whatever the work is that we put in, it’s going to show.”
Stokes added he is “definitely” interested in playing with McCoy in college.
After Stokes 25-point outing against the Indy Heat on Saturday, he was able to catch up with ZAGSBLOG and discuss the latest on his recruitment. Stokes named Kentucky, Louisville, Arkansas, UCLA, UCF, Kansas, UNC as the schools most in contact since June 15, the day coaches were first allowed to contact 2026 players.
Here is the forward’s breakdown of each program:
Kentucky: “You know it’s home, close to home. Coach [Mark] Pope, he’s a good dude. He’s genuine. But I’m not really too in tune with the colleges right now. It hasn’t been my main focus.”
Louisville: “It’s literally home. I’ve seen in recent years the program hasn’t been the best. But when I was younger I’ve seen the capabilities that they had. And now with the new coach, coach [Pat] Kelsey, we’ll see if he can rebuild the school. He got some of his guys there for Charleston so we’ll see what he can do the next few years.”
Arkansas: “Coach [John] Calipari. The move from Kentucky was unexpected, but always expect the unexpected. So him being there in a different program we will see if he can still get those guys to the league like he does every year and just see the development that goes into the next few years for his team.”
UCLA: “Moving to LA — we’re going to have a closer — they’re going to be way closer to me than any other school. So we’ll see what type of recruitment they can do with me being out there.”
UCF: “My boy Mikey [Williams] goes there. So you know, he told them to get in contact with me. They were the first school to reach out at 12 o’clock on June 15th. They told me that they were going to be recruiting me well. They were here today supporting. I actually called Mikey to talk to me while I was warming up. So I can see the effort that they’re giving.”
Kansas: “Coach [Kurtis] Townsend, he talks well. They have a great program. I can see that throughout the past years. And Kansas is one of the top blue bloods in the country. So it would be a great school to look at and visit. We’ll see how everything goes from there.”
UNC: “Coach Hubert [Davis]. Great coach. He was behind coach Roy [Williams] for a few years. More than a few years. He went there as well so he has that UNC connection all the way there. Also seeing the players, Cole Anthony, all them other dudes that go to the league. And then also like Armando Bacot, all those dudes being able to be great at that program for so many years. I can just see them. They put a lot into their guards there.”
Stokes said he hasn’t taken any visits — official or unofficial — at this point in the process.
“I’m just getting the summer over with, going through these camps,” Stokes said. “And then also the process of moving to LA. So you know it’s not really on my mind. I’m just going to try and win Peach Jam and me and my mom will have those conversations after.”
An interesting fact about Stokes is he likes to cook. His favorite dish to make is steak with mashed potatoes, broccoli and asparagus.
Follow Sam Lance on Twitter
Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter
Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram
And Like ZAGS on Facebook
