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Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kentucky basketball's Mark Pope has landed homegrown stars. Tyran Stokes would be big win
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — Kentucky basketball coach Mark Pope will never be John Calipari on the recruiting trail. Nor is he trying to be, based on how he's approached his first class having a full year to recruit. While he's proven in one year to have the coaching acumen that will keep UK a top program, now he has to show he's got the recruiting chops to match. Pope's best talent so far has come from the transfer portal, and his highest-ranked recruits, Jasper Johnson and Malachi Moreno, are both homegrown. In going outside of the bubble, Pope's first big swing nationally in the Class of 2026 was with a pair of teammates from California. They may just be a barometer on how good Pope can be at luring the elite, top-10 recruits in a given class. Jason Crowe Jr., the No. 5 prospect in the class according to 247 Sports, is a 6-foot-4 southpaw shooting guard. His Nike Elite Youth Basketball League teammate just happens to be the top-ranked player in the class, Tyran Stokes. Pope missed on one part of the equation as Crowe announced his commitment Friday and chose Missouri over the Cats. He still has a chance with Stokes, a Louisville native. Stokes is taking the opposite approach from Crowe. The 6-8 small forward isn't saying anything. To anybody. Right now, he's keeping his thoughts on his recruiting process to himself. During Nike's Peach Jam EYBL tournament last week in North Augusta, Stokes only stopped for media inquiries to say he's not talking during Peach Jam. Stokes has only taken three official visits so far — to Kentucky, Louisville and Kansas. His mother, Keaira, moved him to California after living in Louisville until he was 9, but they still have family there and she said Stokes still considers himself a native despite spending the other half of his life on the West Coast. She joked that Stokes passed on media duties to her and added that he may make a decision before his high school season starts. 'Sometimes it's not too much, but he just wants to be Tyran not THE Tyran Stokes,' she said. 'He just wants to be that kid that he really is.' A kid in age but plays like a grown man on the court. That drew a standing-room-only crowd Thursday from crowding in Gym 3/4 on the big court in the North Augusta Parks and Recreation Center to see Crowe and Stokes play for the Oakland Soldiers. NBA star Ja Morant, flanked by security and what looked like a team of his own, sat on a corner baseline. Some YouTube influencer that all the kids seemed to know drew attention on the opposite corner from Morant. Every major program was represented on the opposite sideline including Louisville's Pat Kelsey, who is also recruiting Stokes, and Arkansas as Calipari was joined by assistant coach and former U of L head coach Kenny Payne by his side. For a time during Calipari's 15 years, if the Wildcats wanted a player, they were more than likely getting him. Pope has a chance to show he can recruit at that level, albeit not at the volume of the past conveyor belt of one-and-dones that seemed to annually replenish the roster. But in his pursuit of national championship banner No. 9, it's important that he be able to land the elite of elites. As much as it's been proven that teams don't win titles with a bevy of freshmen, what's also been true among title teams is that they all have at least one NBA first-round talent. If Pope can't close the deal on either, it's not the end of Kentucky basketball. It just might indicate he'll keep going through the transfer portal to find the best talent instead of building through high schools. Reach sports columnist C.L. Brown at clbrown1@ follow him on X at @CLBrownHoops and subscribe to his newsletter at to make sure you never miss one of his columns. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky basketball: Mark Pope out to show 2026 recruiting chops
Reuters
19-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Missouri lands five-star G Jason Crowe Jr., No. 4 in '26
July 19 - Missouri landed five-star guard Jason Crowe Jr., a consensus top-five player in the Class of 2026. Crowe, a 6-foot-3 lefty combo guard from Inglewood (Calif.) High School, widely was considered a cinch for Southern California until Missouri and Kentucky entered the picture earlier in the summer. The Tigers made their initial scholarship offer in June. Kentucky also was a contender. Crowe's father was a teammate of current Wildcats assistant Jason Hart. "Coach (Dennis) Gates is a phenomenal coach and person, and his staff are great people," Crowe said. "Our first conversation happened during the USA tryouts. He was really genuine. We talked about family and connected on a meaningful level. Coach Gates is a family-first person. On the court, he's high-energy and competitive." Crowe is first in scoring in the Nike EYBL with an average of 23.6 points per game. He would become the highest-rated recruit to attend Missouri since Michael Porter Jr. (2017) and Linas Kleiza (2013) should he remain committed to the Tigers for the next year. --Field Level Media
New York Times
18-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Missouri lands top-10 recruit Jason Crowe Jr. as Dennis Gates' personal ties pay off
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. — In 2002, Jason Crowe was a training camp invitee with the Los Angeles Clippers. That same summer, Dennis Gates had caught the attention of the Clippers coaching staff by working out Quentin Richardson, Corey Maggette and some of the young Clippers stars, and the Clips hired him as a skill development coach. Crowe, who did not make the roster, never forgot the presence Gates had as a 22-year-old new coach. NEWS: 5⭐️ Jason Crowe Jr has committed to Missouri, he tells @TheAthleticCBB On the EYBL circuit he's averaging 23.8 points, 3 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game — Tobias Bass (@tobias_bass) July 18, 2025 'I was able to just watch him, the style of play, the method of coaching, the way he deals with young men,' Crowe said. 'He was a good man, so I was very fortunate he reached out.' Crowe's very talented son, five-star guard Jason Crowe Jr., committed to Missouri on Friday, becoming the second-highest-ranked recruit in Tigers history. He's the highest-ranked since Michael Porter Jr. in 2017. Crowe announced the commitment from the Nike EYBL Peach Jam on his birthday. Advertisement Missouri beat out Kentucky and local schools USC and UCLA for the Inglewood, Calif., product. Crowe, the sixth-ranked player in the Class of 2026 according to the 247Sports Composite, is one of the best shooters in this class and is leading EYBL in scoring at 27 points per game this summer. This is a big addition for the Tigers, who will be a fringe Top 25 team this preseason. Missouri's 2026-27 starting backcourt could potentially be Crowe, Anthony Robinson II (9.0 points, 3.5 assists per game last season) and UCLA transfer Sebastian Mack (9.6 points per game). The Tigers will be losing Mark Mitchell in the frontcourt, but that backcourt is a great starting spot for another Top 25 team. The Tigers have reached two NCAA Tournaments in Gates' three seasons as coach, including a 22-12 record and No. 6 seed this past year (Missouri lost to No. 11 Drake in the first round).
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Michigan State hoops reportedly made trip to watch 5-star PG prospect play this past weekend
Michigan State hoops reportedly made trip to watch 5-star PG prospect play this past weekend Michigan State reportedly had coaches in the building to watch an elite level point guard prospect play this past weekend Michigan State basketball was reportedly one of a few big-time programs showing interest in five-star point guard prospect Jason Crowe Jr. Recruiting analyst Sam Kayser posted on social media platform X that Michigan State was one of a few schools that made an appearance at a recent EYBL session to watch Crowe. Along with the Spartans was Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, USC, Baylor, UCLA and Texas. Crowe -- who hails from Inglewood, Calif. -- is a five-star prospect in the 2026 class. He holds a recruiting rating of 99.75 in 247Sports' composite ratings. Crowe ranks as the No. 2 point guard in 247Sports' rankings for the 2026 class. He is listed as the No. 5 overall prospect in the country. Michigan State has not yet extended an offer to Crowe, according to 247Sports. He currently holds offers from UCLA, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, Louisville, USC, Villanova, Washington and Weber State. He also has received reported interest from Kansas, Miami (FL) and Arizona but hasn't received an offer from those schools at this time. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
