Bill Self did not acknowledge Tyran Stokes prior to the college basketball game between Kansas and BYU on Saturday. He completely ignored the No. 1 overall prospect in the recruiting Class of 2026.
It was on purpose.
The highly-touted college basketball recruit was in Lawrence on an unofficial visit. Self did not want to commit an NCAA violation.
Who is Tyran Stokes?
If you are reading this article, you probably know the answer to this question. Stokes is the top-ranked recruit in the country as a five-star small forward.
The Seattle-native currently holds 25 scholarship offers from all of the top programs, like Texas, North Carolina, Houston, Alabama, Michigan and UCLA. He already took visits to USC, Louisville, Oregon, Kentucky and Kansas but it seems like those last three are his top three. His decision is likely going to come down to the Jayhawks or the Wildcats. Most experts think the former but nobody knows for sure.
At 6-foot-7, 230 pounds, Tyran Stokes has a seven-foot wingspan. Even though he is built like a forward and plays the forward position at Rainier Beach High School, he makes plays like a guard. His ability to create opportunities off of the dribble is his best quality. He is especially lethal on the fast break.
Stokes led the EYBL in scoring with an average of 25.2 points per game and averaged 10 rebounds.
Whichever program can land his commitment will be in immediate position to contend for a national title. Stokes is that good.
Bill Self ignored the top-ranked recruit at Kansas… on purpose.
The regular signing period for college basketball will begin on April 15, 2026. There are still more than two months for Tyran Stokes to make his decision on where he wants to play next season.
It seems like it is going to be Kansas or Kentucky, as I said earlier. We’ll see.
Stokes was in attendance at the top-15 matchup in Lawrence on Saturday. It was an unofficial visit to watch the Jayhawks in person.
He sat next to five-star point guard Taylen Kinney, who is already committed to Kansas in the same recruiting class. They could be teammates next season.
Bill Self knew Stokes was in attendance but he did not acknowledge his existence. The Hall of Fame head coach walked right over to Kinney and shook his hand. At no point did he even look at Stokes.
Bill Self daps up Taylen Kinney and just ghosted Tyran Stokes. pic.twitter.com/Mr9GZhqaIq
— Rare Rookies #BBN (@rarerookies) January 31, 2026
The entire exchange was captured on the ESPN broadcast and Kentucky fans thought it was strange. They were convinced it would push Stokes toward the Wildcats… but they don’t know the rules.
Because it was not an official visit, it would’ve been a recruiting violation for the head coach of the Jayhawks to shake the hand of a player who is not yet committed. Thus, he made sure to show love to Kinney as a way to indirectly say hello to Stokes. Chess, not checkers.