5-Star Forward Tajh Ariza Schedules Visit to Kansas

Kansas basketball head coach Bill Self and the KU coaching staff have secured an official visit from one of the top high school players available in the 2026 class.

On Tuesday, 247Sports National Basketball Director Eric Bossi reported that five-star small forward Tajh Ariza would be taking a trip to Lawrence on Sept. 26. The 6-foot-9 California native is rated as the No. 9 overall prospect and the third-best small forward in his class.

Ariza played at Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California, this past season where he averaged nearly 27 points, 14 rebounds, and five assists per game as he helped lead the team to the City Section Open Division championship and was named City Section co-player of the year, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In April, Ariza made the decision to transfer to St. John Bosco High School in Bellflower, California, for his upcoming senior season where he’ll play alongside fellow 2026 five-star recruits Brandon McCoy and Christian Collins. Both McCoy and Collins are rated as top five players in their class, and both currently hold offers from KU.

News of Ariza’s visits comes hot on the heels of KU announcing Tony Bland as their new assistant coach to replace the recently departed Chase Buford.

Bland has ties to Ariza as he previously coached the star-studded prospect during his freshman year at St. Bernard High School in Los Angeles. That connection is likely a big part of why KU was able to land a scheduled visit from Ariza and could play a big role in potentially landing his services for next season.

KU will need someone of Ariza’s talents next year as the team will lose several seniors from this year’s team along with Darryn Peterson and others to the NBA. With Ariza’s skillset, he could easily slide into a starting spot as a freshman depending on who the staff brings in following the 2025-26 season.

Like father, like son

Ariza is the son of former NBA small forward Trevor Ariza who was drafted by the New York Knicks in the second round of the 2004 NBA Draft. He played in the league for 18 seasons and was a member of the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers NBA Championship team.

Prior to his NBA career, Ariza spent one year in college at UCLA where he earned All-Pac 10 Freshman Team honors under then head coach Steve Lavin. He averaged 11.6 points and 6.5 rebounds during his freshman year before declaring for the NBA Draft.

Like his son, Ariza was also a highly touted, five-star recruit coming out of high school. He was given the California Mr. Basketball award in 2003 after averaging 21 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists during his senior year.

6’9” 5⭐ Tajh Ariza was in his bag at NBPA Top 100 Camp 🚨👀 @Top100Camp @TheNBPA @_theetajhariza pic.twitter.com/NFHOIAwnG5
— SLAM HS Hoops (@SLAM_HS) June 15, 2025