Kansas freshman Tyran Stokes keeps stacking up preseason recognition, and the latest nod puts him in line for one of college basketball’s top positional honors.
On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced Stokes had been placed on the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Top 20 Preseason Watch List. For Kansas, it’s another headline for a newcomer who arrived in Lawrence as the consensus No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class and now enters the 2026-27 season with national attention already locked in.
The Julius Erving Award goes to the top small forward in Division I men’s college basketball and honors Hall of Famer Julius Erving, better known as Dr. J. Stokes’ inclusion on the watch list gives him another piece of early national recognition before he even takes the floor for his first regular season with the Jayhawks.
Kansas Athletics noted that Stokes has a chance to become just the second Jayhawk to win the award. The only Kansas player to claim it so far is former forward Jalen Wilson, who earned the honor in 2023.
Stokes’ résumé explains why he keeps landing on these lists. As a senior at Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, Washington, he put together a massive final high school season, averaging 31 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals per game. He helped lead Rainier Beach to a 29-1 record and a Washington 3A state championship.
At 6-foot-8, Stokes brings the kind of frame that lets him handle bigger wings, but it’s the skill set that really jumps off the page. He has the ball-handling and passing touch to affect the game in more than one way, and Kansas head coach Bill Self has already highlighted his versatility, scoring ability, rebounding and playmaking.
That combination has fueled the expectation around him, and it’s not limited to national watch lists. Stokes was also named the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year and picked for the preseason All-Big 12 team, adding even more weight to the spotlight on his debut season.
He’ll also have a chance to lean on veteran teammates Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. as he adjusts to the college game. For Kansas, the hope is that Stokes’ talent translates quickly as the Jayhawks chase a Big 12 championship.
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