No. 1 College Basketball Recruit Receives Big News on Friday

The headline name is Tyran Stokes, a 17-year-old forward from Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California. Currently the top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2026, Stokes helped lead Team USA to gold at the 2023 FIBA U16 Americas Championship in Mexico, where he averaged just over 10 points per game.

Stokes has drawn heavy recruiting interest from major programs including Kentucky, Kansas and Louisville. His most recent visit was to Lexington to meet new Wildcats coach Mark Pope.

Another big name on the roster is AJ Dybantsa. He was a former teammate of Stokes at Prolific Prep before finishing his high school career at Utah Prep Academy. Dybantsa is set to begin his college career at Brigham Young University this fall.

Other players named to the team are:

• Mikel Brown Jr.
• Caleb Holt
• Daniel Jacobsen
• Jasper Johnson
• JJ Mandaquit
• Morez Johnson Jr.
• Nik Khamenia
• Brandon McCoy Jr.
• Koa Peat
• Jordan Smith Jr.

University of Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd will serve as head coach for Team USA. He’ll be joined on the bench by Texas Tech’s Grant McCasland and Notre Dame’s Micah Shrewsberry as assistant coaches.

The tournament tips off later this month. Team USA will compete in Group D alongside Australia, France and Cameroon.