The Tyran Stokes recruiting drama may officially be coming to a close

You would be hard-pressed to find a battle for the No. 1 player in the nation take as long as it has with Tyran Stokes. 

According to 247Sports’ Adam Finkelstein, Stokes is profiled as “the most talented prospect in the national class and a unique match-up for opposing defenders,” and as having “more sheer talent than anyone in the country.”

The 6-foot-7 forward is also currently rated by 247Sports as a 99 overall. 

These are all the reasons why Kentucky, Kansas, and Oregon are clamoring after him. 

The up-and-down recruiting trail

If this is the first time you happen to really hear about the battle specifically between the Wildcats and the Jayhawks, then buckle up. 

There are too many minor incidents to get into, but just know that things really started to pick up as reports linked him to the Jayhawks in the winter, because Stokes’ assistant coach at Rainier Beach High School, Jamal Crawford, has a very good relationship with Kansas assistant Kurtis Townsend. 

"I think it is for real…There's been a huge talk that they've [Kansas] made a big run. I think a lot of that can be from the fact that he's at Rainier Beach, a place where assistant Kurt Townsend has tremendously strong relationships. He recruited Jamal Crawford, an assistant coach there, to Michigan and is very close to him,” quoted Eric Bossi. Bossi serves as the national basketball director at 247Sports. 

Then, fans were very quick to point out that Stokes is a Nike athlete, and Kansas is…Well, an Adidas school. This wouldn’t be the first time a player played for a school that represents a different brand than the one the player has signed with, but it is worth remembering.

Fast forward, and reports claim that both Washington and Gonzaga are now in the mix. Those have apparently been refuted thanks to Stokes recently reposting a graphic of his final three schools, which again are Oregon, Kansas, and Kentucky, to his Instagram story 

A day or so after the Instagram repost, Stokes was asked on X when he would be choosing his destination, to which he replied. 

Now there has recently been one more twist. Remember how we mentioned Stokes’ relationship to Crawford? Over the past few weeks, Mark Pope has been allegedly trying to bring Crawford onto the UK staff.

All of this has led up to this tweet from Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68, minutes ago.

Maybe on Monday, the nation will finally have its answer to what feels like an eon-long battle.

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