By SAM LANCE
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — On the court, Brandon McCoy and Tyran Stokes are two of the best players in the 2026 class. In fact, they take up the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the rankings of On3, 247Sports, ESPN and Rivals, making them the consensus top two prospects in the country.
If you know youth basketball, you know how talented these two kids are. But what many don’t know is off the court, the two are best buds.
“The first time I saw Tyran in person, we played against each other in LA at the Map,” McCoy recalls. “And they beat us. And then like our coach, we were all cool and whatever, and then I came back to the tournament and Tyran was on our team.”
That was in fourth grade.
“Ever since then, we’ve just had that best friend bond,” Stokes said.
The team they played on together back then was Stokes uncle’s team called Lock Up Select based out of San Diego.
“We won a lot of games, definitely,” McCoy said. “Crazy duo. I hope to run that back someday. It’s been cool ever since that.”
The most recent time the two got to team up, they won a lot of games again. But this time, it was for a FIBA 5×5 U17 Men’s World Cup gold medal. During the tournament, McCoy and Stokes combined to average 22.3 points and 10.8 assists per game. If you do the math — counting all the assists as two-point baskets — McCoy and Stokes accounted for 34% of Team USA’s scoring throughout the seven games. And the crazy thing is that percentage is likely higher with 3-point baskets.
Fast forward to today, McCoy and Stokes are competing for a Nike EYBL Peach Jam crown while playing up an age group at the 17u level. Currently the two are averaging above 16 points point game and have put their respective teams — the Arizona Unity and Oakland Soldiers — in good position to make the final bracket.This alley-oop from Brandon McCoy to Tyran Stokes at the halftime buzzer of the FIBA U17 gold medal game is absurd.
— Steve Hewitt (@steve_hewitt) July 7, 2024
Team USA well on its way to gold in Turkey. pic.twitter.com/m8iWmTWdh2
As for recruitment, both McCoy and Stokes have been hearing from almost too many programs to count since the contact period opened up on June 15. While the two don’t play together now in high school or in the EYBL, it seems like they may be interested in joining forces in college. This is what Stokes had to say when asked if McCoy is someone he wants to play with at the next level: “Definitely. Being on the same court with him is fun. We know each other’s games. We know what we can do, what we can’t do, weaknesses. Just getting each other better would be the best thing going to the same school.” One interesting story from the two playing against each other is from Session 4 in Kansas City. There was a play where McCoy skied for a dunk, and there was some mild contact by Stokes, but no foul. After the play, McCoy and Stokes exchanged some words. Stokes then told McCoy to “guard him all game” like he was to McCoy. “I went for a dunk and he like, he just like clipped my leg,” McCoy said of the moment. “I said, ‘Don’t do that.'” And then, you know. It was nothing too serious but it was a game, competitive game. So.” The Soldiers ended up defeating Unity 60-57. Stokes had 13 points, four rebounds and four assists. McCoy finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds and one assist. The two could potentially match up again in Peach Jam bracket play if the Soldiers finish first in Pool C and the Unity second in Pool A, or if Unity finishes first in Pool A and Soldiers second in Pool C. In both scenarios, Unity and Soldiers would have to win their quarterfinal games to matchup in the semifinals. If both finish first or second in their respective pools a matchup couldn’t happen until the championship game. Follow Sam Lance on Twitter Follow Adam Zagoria on Twitter Follow ZAGSBLOGHoops on Instagram And Like ZAGS on FacebookUpdated standings for Peach Jam (17u level) after Tuesday’s games. Two pool play games remain for each squad.
— Sam Lance (@slancehoops) July 17, 2024
Top two in each pool make the final bracket. @AdamZagoria pic.twitter.com/RF27kSIqpR
