"Give Tyran the KEYS to the offense": Fans react as Kentucky's Mark Pope earns Team USA U19's nod

Notre Dame High School (California) guard Tyran Stokes has earned rave reviews for his performances in Nike's EYBL circuit this year. According to On3, Stokes is the No. 1-ranked prospect in the Class of 2026.

Stokes has been heavily recruited by the best schools in the country and has already visited the Louisville Cardinals (October) and the Kansas Jayhawks (April). A visit to Lexington to tour Mark Pope's Kentucky Wildcats' facilities, slated for last week, was postponed.

Stokes was among the 33 players named to the Team USA FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025 camp in Colorado Springs on Tuesday. Eight of those players, including Stokes and BYU Cougars standout AJ Dybantsa, were part of the FIBA U17 team that won the basketball World Cup in 2024.

The team will be coached by Tommy Lloyd, but Mark Pope will be involved as an on-court coach. Pope will be joined at the camp by Kentucky freshmen Malachi Moreno and Jasper Johnson, who will compete to be in the final 12-player roster. The tournament tips off on June 28 in Switzerland.

Fans reacted to the news that Mark Pope would coach at the U19 camp.

Some fans reacted to Pope getting the chance to coach Stokes.

"Give Tyran the KEYS to the offense," one fan tweeted.

"Pope being able to show other recruits firsthand how great his basketball mind is," another fan tweeted.

"Coach Pope is working!!" one tweeted.

Mark Pope falls behind in Tyran Stokes stakes

Tyran Stokes was poised to visit Lexington between May 15 and May 17, but the visit was postponed indefinitely. The prospect and his mother, Keaira Stokes, visited the Kansas Jayhawks in April.

During an interview with The Kansas Star, Keaira revealed how excited her son was with the Jayhawks' facilities and the overall experience in Kansas.

“He’s (Stokes) still excited about the visit,” Keaira said. “Kansas is beautiful. Tyran said it, too. You can go from the practice facility to the arena — everything is attached. For him, being out in Cali for as long as he’s been out there. With the Midwest weather, it’s pretty cool you don’t have to leave the building."

Keaira further revealed how Kansas coach Bill Self's vision of Stokes's role in the Jayhawks team meshed with their vision of his basketball future.

“He’s (Bill Self) like, ‘Hey, we know you know this is an eight-month situation, and we want to pour into you as much as we can in those eight months and get you prepared for the next level, while winning a national championship,’” Keaira said. “I can accept that. Tyran was in agreement with that."

With the Lexington visit by Tyran Stokes unexpectedly postponed right after his mother's glowing review of Bill Self's program, Mark Pope's Kentucky seems to be on the back foot of the five-star prospect's recruitment.