Louisville basketball recently received some concerning news on their 5-star target Tyran Stokes, as college basketball expert Jamie Shaw reportedly predicted the No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class to commit to Kentucky over the Cardinals. Stokes is Pat Kelsey's No. 1 target, and the glaring reason is that the 5-star phenom is a Louisville native.
The elite small forward was born and raised in Louisville and is the city's next prodigy, and not only Louisville's next rising star, but hopefully will bring the Cardinals their first title since 2013. Stokes' story reminds us a lot of LeBron James being drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers and the city supporting and falling in love with the city's next prodigy.
Stokes has that opportunity to have a similar story if he commits to Louisville, and in a recent article, he made it clear he is proud to represent the city of Louisville, making some think he wants to return home and represent the 5-0-2.
Related: Tyran Stokes’ Mom just sent a loud message that gave Louisville an edge over Kentucky
Tyran Stokes' loyalty to Louisville offers hope as Kentucky looms
The No. 1 recruit in the 2026 class and the consensus 5-star forward was recently interviewed by SLAM magazine after winning gold at the 2024 U19 World Cups. Stokes is a future NBA star, and the whole nation is tuned in to where he will announce his commitment.
In the article, Stokes dives deep into why the city of Louisville is so important to him and that "he never forgets the place that made him."
"Any other city that y’all see me in, state, whatever it is, that’s not me," Stokes stated. "I’m strictly from the 5-0-2."
This fiery message gives Louisville fans absolute chills and sends them right into a complete frenzy. Stokes has an opportunity to do something special here. With Kelsey having this Cardinals program as one of the top landing spots for 5-stars and Louisville trending towards many other 5-stars in the 2026 cycle, Stokes can come home and represent his city and bring a title to Louisville that the city has been craving.
Many recruits are proud to represent their city and still commit to other programs, but the Cardinals have been receiving strong indications that the No. 1 recruit wants to come home. Recently, he quoted Kelsey in a recent interview, stating that one of the most important things to him in his decision is to go somewhere that doesn't have smoke.
Stokes is a proud Louisville native. He is all about his city, and to make comments like "I’m strictly from the 5-0-2," and then to go play for Kentucky is something hard for fans even to imagine. It would be a massive gut-wrenching punch and a stab right in the back to the city of Louisville.
The city doesn't have an NBA team, and so the Cardinals basketball program is its No. 1 priority. The city is making it known that they want him to come home and play for the Cardinals in 2026, and with Mark Pope and the Wildcats trying to play spoiler for this family reunion, this fiery quote gives Louisville a glimmer of hope as the recruiting process begins to heat up.
Related: Louisville fans holding their breath after Tyran Stokes’ Mom teases decision timeline
For all the latest on Louisville basketball's offseason and recruiting, stay tuned.