Likely Ineligible, Five-Star Hooper Tyran Stokes' Short Stay at Rainier Beach is Just the Latest Problem for Scandal-Plagued District
Five star talent went from getting kicked out of Sherman Oaks for fighting to instant mid-semester eligibility 1,100 miles north, published reports indicate super-agent paved the way
UPDATED Jan 14, 2026 — J425 has published stories on 1/13 and 1/14 reporting on the emerging problems with the Stokes transfer. At the same time, we’ve since answered some of the questions in this initial story. Updates in italics, original report will remain unchanged. - Kev 1/14/26 11:01 pm.
RAINIER VALLEY, WA - Last month, the nation’s most highly-rated basketball recruit – Tyran Stokes, 6’7 small forward, five star recruit, three-time gold medalist and Nike-endorsed athlete – suddenly appeared at Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School, two days before the basketball season started, a trail of social media creators, sneaker reps and hoops agents in tow.
Let’s not bury the lede: by the letter of the law, given the reported facts of Stokes’ move north, by the letter of the regulations, the Rainier Beach star appears to be ineligible, and if he was granted eligibility improperly by SPS district officials, it could have shattering ramifications for the school, the district and the region.
Initially, it wasn’t obvious or even likely that Stokes would be granted athletic eligibility, given the circumstances of his departure from his previous school in Sherman Oaks, CA…the strict Washington state athletic transfer rules/recruiting prohibitions…combined with the rocky situation at Seattle Public Schools, where the district, its athletic director and the Metro League in its entirety were placed on probation after a recruiting scandal and the ensuing investigation resulted in a series of serious recruiting violations and “systemic failures” that pointed at a lack of institutional control… and left the district just one slip up away from possible suspension of all athletics or even expulsion from the state athletics association.
Let’s not bury the lede: by the letter of the law, given the reported facts of Stokes’ move north, by the letter of the regulations, the Rainier Beach star appears to be ineligible, and if he was granted eligibility improperly by SPS district officials, it could have shattering ramifications for the school, the district and the region, especially considering the June 2025 Roosevelt recruiting scandal findings, in which SPS Athletics, SPS AD Pat McCarthy and Metro League were all put on probation. This after the fact finder appointed to investigate Roosevelt/SPS stated that in similar situations nationwide, a period of suspension from athletics was the typical penalty.
So the stakes were high as SPS evaluated the Stokes transfer. As was the visibility, given Stokes’ status as the top player in 2026 and a growing star with a considerable social media footprint.
Before we get too far in the weeds, let’s consider just two regulatory hurdles that SPS faced when considering whether to grant Stokes instant eligibility
First, regardless of residency situation, the WIAA has a full ban on immediate eligibility in the case of transfers that occur for athletic reasons. Period.
At-will transfers occurring for reasons relating to athletics require a mandatory one-year sit-out period.
According to WIAA Rule 27.0.0 and Appendix 4, a student who attends a school for an “athletic purpose” is ineligible for all sports for one full calendar year, “regardless of their residence”. This regulation closes the loophole for families who physically move solely to secure an athletic future.
As we’ll detail further down in this report, Stokes voluntarily withdrew from Notre Dame High School in California following “disciplinary issues” of his own making. The decision “to seek opportunities elsewhere” came after a Nov.5 meeting with Notre Dame Athletic Director Alec Moss in which Stokes was informed he wasn’t welcome to play basketball at Notre Dame. Stalwart LA-based OnSI reporter Tarik Fattal reported that, after a violent incident with another student (occurring after a suspension Stokes served during the football season) Stokes was nudged towards withdrawing in lieu of forcing Notre Dame to make a decision about his continued enrollment. Fattal’s reports were seconded by the LA Times, and neither source has been contradicted on the record or changed their reporting.
So, Stokes left Notre Dame abruptly because he couldn’t play basketball, and he immediatly began looking for somewhere he could play basketball. If that doesn’t meet the definition of an athletics-related at-will transfer, we’re not sure if there’s a point in including the language in future versions of the WIAA regulations.
And yet, within two weeks of pulling out of Notre Dame, Stokes obtained immediate eligibility after a mid-semester enrollment at Seattle’s Rainier Beach public high school — a basketball program whose assistant coach happens to share a professional connection with a prominent basketball agent attached to Stokes. The agent appeared at halfcourt in Stokes’ first game. This transfer bears the hallmarks of an athletic decision rather than a necessary family relocation, pending further explanation from those involved in the process.
At present, given the context surrounding why he left Notre Dame and the reason he selected Rainier Beach, Stokes would need an affirmative case detailing why he suddenly arrived at Rainier Beach High School for reasons out of his control and entirely unrelated to athletics.
Tough sledding.
Second, according to both WIAA regulations and SPS athletic policy, in order to compete for the Rainier Beach Vikings varsity basketball team in 2025, Stokes would’ve needed to register at Rainier Beach by September 18, 2025.
And time travel does not exist.
UPDATE: Per WIAA, this specific code not
It is impossible for Stokes to meet the mandatory registration deadline required to show up and compete in first semester athletics because he was competing for Notre Dame in Sherman Oaks at that time. He arrived in Seattle some two months after the deadline specified in regulations adopted by the WIAA members.
It seems probable that the following regulation was either ignored or overruled via hardship process in order to facilitate Stokes’ immediate eligibility:
“The student shall be enrolled full time…and in regular attendance within the first 15 school days in a semester…in order to participate in interscholastic contests during the current semester.” - WIAA Handbook, 18.10.0.
But why? That’s the question. Because absent of everything else, even hardship approvals must meet the spirit of the WIAA rules (not to mention the wording, but we’ll cover hardships further down.)
Context of the Tyran Stokes Arrival
Against a backdrop of institutional scandal, a controversial and undeniable superstar arrives, reportedly thanks to an agent with ties to the Rainier Beach staff, and gains immediate eligibility, even while a local athlete who observed the published transfer guidelines (and didn’t get chased from his previous school for acts of violence or insists on immediate eligibility despite posted deadlines requiring registration within 15 days of the start of the semester) is forced to sit out the first 40 percent of the season as the required price for transferring in the legal method described by state athletics administrators.
Worse yet, from an external optics point of view, a new set of SPS athletic scandals were coming to light, parallel to the highly-visible arrival of the basketball superstar who’d sought instant eligibility clearing and a starting role on the Rainier Beach basketball roster, just days after departing his previous school under less-than-sterling circumstances.
Stokes Voluntarily Withdraws from Notre Dame (CA)
On November 5, news broke that Stokes was leaving Notre Dame. The official statement from the Notre Dame AD was…opaque.
“Notre Dame High School acknowledges Tyran Stokes’ decision to withdraw and explore new opportunities,” AD Alec Moss said in a statement. “We appreciate the contributions he made to our basketball program and community during his time here. We wish Tyran all the best as he pursues his future goals, and we are confident he will find success.”
But reporting from ONSI and the LA Times claimed that Stokes had worn out his welcome at Notre Dame after a series of escalating incidents culminated in a violent episode involving another student.
Specifically, the 6-7, 230-pound star had been dealing with disciplinary issues at the school, Tarek Fattal of Sports Illustrated reported, stating that the issue included conflicts with other students.
“(Stokes) served a suspension that kept him sidelined during multiple high school football games this season, and has not been at school this week…” Fattal reported November 5.
The situation developing on the eve of the 2025-26 prep basketball season was quite a departure from Stokes’ recent legacy of victory after victory. Entering the 2025-26 school year, the world was Tyran Stokes’ oyster.
The 6’7, 225 pound wing had recently won his third FIBA gold medal for the U.S. national team. He’d retained his status as the consensus top basketball recruit
