Louisville Basketball Recruiting: Cardinals Pursue Elite 2027 Wing Stokes

Louisville basketball visited top 2026 recruit Tyran Stokes at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, per Derek Murray. The 6’7 wing has offers from all the expected Blue Bloods and other top programs like Texas, Xavier and Alabama. After three straight losing seasons, Pat Kelsey’s Cardinals would benefit greatly from an elite in-state prospect — Stokes spent his early years in Louisville before moving to the West Coast.

Stokes established himself as one of high school basketball’s most dominant players early on, making waves as a freshman at Prolific Prep and starring with Vegas Elite on the Nike EYBL 17u circuit as a rising junior. Stokes played for the Oakland Soldiers with his former teammate AJ Dybantsa this EYBL season and continued his dominance.

The counting stats speak to his baseline of production. According to Synergy, Stokes averaged 20.4 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.2 stocks (steals + blocks) per game on a strong 62.2% true shooting across his 25 EYBL games this season. He’s a game-breaking two-way force, imposing his will as one of the best young athletes on the planet on both ends of the court.

Slashing immediately pops as Stokes’ feature skill. Constructed like a defensive end with elite horizontal and vertical burst, few teenage prospects can match his overwhelming driving prowess. Stokes lived at the rim this season — 66.9% of his shots came at the hoop and he finished an efficient 58.9% of them, including 46 dunks.

Players his age or even older can’t hang with Stokes from a physical standpoint, leading to those gaudy slashing numbers and even gaudier free-throw production. Stokes finished the season at an absurd 64% free-throw rate, converting a solid 76.7% of those foul shots. His physical dominance will likely carry over to the college and pro levels based on sheer dominance, even if the margins of his advantages will lessen over time. He’s done nothing but produce against the best competition available on the high school, club and international levels.

Stokes’ profile runs deeper than brutish slashing. He’s a stellar passer for his position; Stokes may never run an offense like a true point guard, but his handling flashes and playmaking verve are strong for a wing/forward. Stokes’ 1.1 assist-to-turnover ratio is solid given his age and how often he touches the ball.

As an attacker off of the catch, Stokes finds cutters and shooters off of his immense gravity. He’s flashed the ability to run secondary pick and rolls. Slowing down and relying less on his athleticism will help him maximize those tools, as is common for many young players. Whether or not Stokes can operate as a primary will likely determine his ultimate ceiling as a pro.

Stokes spent his final AAU season improving his jumper and he’s a genuine threat from beyond the arc at this point, which some seem to not give him credit for. Maybe it’s due to his aesthetic or anchoring bias but the perception of Stokes’ shotmaking is off. He shot 41.3% (31/75) from deep this season with some real shot versatility. Stokes will pull from NBA range and even run off light movement to find shots off of the ball.

On the defensive end, Stokes’ often unfathomable physical tools let him wreck games similarly to offense. As Stokes took on a higher usage offensive role, his defensive effort has waned some. That’s common for young initiators, though, as many of them improve especially off of the ball defensively as they age, mature and begin to play with better players.

Earlier in his career, Stokes broke out as a defensive menace. He covers immense areas of the court with elite explosion, closing speed and instincts to protect the rim and jump passing lanes. Stokes may never be a lockdown on-ball defender but he’s physically and mentally equipped to brutalize offenses with elite playmaking and ground coverage on the defensive end.

The Cardinals can’t seem to recruit elite talent as of late; they have one four-star recruit for 2024 (Khani Rooths) and are rebuilding their roster via the portal. Stokes would instantly be the best prospect in Louisville in years, though he’d almost certainly leave for the draft after one season. Still, he’s the kind of foundational talent with the force to change the course of a program and drive further recruiting success.

Kelsey and Co. will likely continue to pursue Stokes intently as he nears closer to a college decision. He’s an elite talent and the presumed top pick in the 2027 NBA draft for a reason. His eventual commitment to Louisville or anywhere else will be monumental.