Kentucky was in attendance to watch top target score 63 points

Kentucky basketball still has yet to land a commitment from anyone in the 2026 recruiting class. Despite going after top recruits such as Tyran Stokes, Christian Collins and Caleb Holt, things have been trending downward for all three over the last few months since the fall signing period in November. Although one school in particular has gained strong traction, the Kentucky staff has not given up on Stokes in particular just yet.

On Tuesday night, Kentucky assistant coach Jason Hart was in attendance to see Tyran Stokes, the top player in the 2026 class, score 63 points for his new high school, Rainier Beach, which to no one's surprise, set a school record for most points scored in a game. Coincidentally enough, Hart was also actually in attendance for Stokes' 52-point performance back in December.

As for his recruitment, Stokes has been seen as a heavy Kansas lean over the last couple of months and is actually coming off of a visit to Lawrence this past weekend to see the Jayhawks' big win over BYU in a very electric environment. The Jayhawks began making a real push at the beginning of November around the early signing period, before quickly gaining momentum after Stokes went through the early signing period with no announcement. Then, the Kansas buzz really got going, and ever since early December, Kansas has looked like the leader.

Assistant Coach Jason Hart calls out to the team during the Kentucky Blue-White preseason event. — Assistant Coach Jason Hart calls out to the team during the Kentucky Blue-White preseason event on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024 at the Memorial Coliseum. | Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Kentucky has not stopped pursuing the No. 1 player in the 2026 class, but who would? Stokes does not seem to be in a hurry to make his decision, as more towards the spring signing period seems like the more likely scenario at the moment. On paper, the Kentucky staff still has some time to make up ground, but Kansas is not going to let go and at this point, their lead is going to be hard to overcome. It should be seen as a good sign that Kentucky is not giving up because they can still make one big push. The problem stems deeper than just making a push though, with Kentucky's overall recruiting philosophy still seeming to have trouble landing top recruits, as you can see.

Jason Hart seems to be a good luck charm for Stokes, as nearly every time he is in attendance, the top-ranked prospect has an incredible game. Will it be enough to pull of a really big comeback in the Stokes sweepstakes? We will see, as an announcement is currently not expected to come in the near future.

TYRAN STOKES JUST DROPPED 63 PTS ON HIS SENIOR NIGHT 🤯 pic.twitter.com/9pWKFJ0apY
— Overtime (@overtime) February 4, 2026