Kansas Basketball Recruit Tyran Stokes Leads Team to District Title

The nation’s No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class has added another accolade to his resume after Tyran Stokes led his team to a comeback victory to secure the 3A District 2 Championship over O’Dea High School in Seattle, Washington, on Saturday night.

Stokes was the leading scorer for the Vikings, finishing with 17 points in an unusually low scoring night for the Kansas basketball recruit in the country as the Vikings defeated the Fighting Irish 56-47.

Down 31-18 at the end of the first half with Stokes only scoring four points, the Vikings turned it on to begin the second half and cut the deficit to 33-31 thanks to a spectacular spin move at the top of the key by Stokes that led to a layup for the Vikings.

With the Irish leading 39-37 to begin the fourth quarter, Stokes drove the lane once again to earn a contested bank shot near the right block to tie the game at 39 apiece. Stokes scored six of his 17 points in the fourth quarter to bring the Vikings back and earn not only the district title but also the No. 1 seed in the upcoming WIAA State 3A Tournament.

The opening rounds of the tournament begin this week with No. 1 Rainier Beach taking on No. 8 Bellevue on Friday night inside the Tacoma Dome at 10 p.m. CT. The winner receives a bye in the next round and automatically advances to the state quarterfinals next week.

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The Kansas Jayhawks still remain the frontrunner to land Stokes according to both 247Sports and On3.com, though a decision is unlikely to come until after the state tournament is over on March 7.

From then it’s anyone’s guess as to when he will commit, but a decision could come near or during the McDonald’s All-American Game which takes place March 31 in Glendale, Arizona. Stokes will be playing for the West team alongside current KU signee Taylen Kinney – who recently joined Stokes on a visit to KU for the BYU game.

Kinney has long been pitching Stokes to join him in Lawrence next season, and if he does, the two would form one of the most potent freshmen duos in the country.

When it comes to what he’s looking for in a school, Stokes said it’s more than just basketball.

“I want to play for someone who really appreciates me outside of the court,” Stokes said previously. “Someone who is going to talk with me just about how things are going and not just talk basketball all the time. I’m looking for a home, a place that I’m going to feel comfortable.”