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
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, the Rainier Beach star is almost certainly ineligible, and the fact that his eligibility was apparently rubber-stamped anyway carries earth 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, the Rainier Beach star is almost certainly ineligible, and the fact that his eligibility was apparently rubber-stamped anyway carries earth shattering ramifications for the school, the district and the region.
Before we get too far in the weeds, consider just two of the many regulatory hurdles that make Stokes’ instant eligibility improbable if not impossible.
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 for reasons relating to athletics require a mandatory one-year sitout 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.
Given Stokes’ well-documented withdrawal from Notre Dame High School in California following “disciplinary issues” and his immediate, seemingly impermissible mid-semester enrollment at a basketball program whose coach happens to share a connection with a prominent basketball agent close to Stokes…needless to say, this transfer bears the hallmarks of an athletic decision rather than a necessary family relocation.
A takeaway that’s only reinforced when superagent Aaron Goodwin is seen shaking hands with Rainier Beach staff and sitting front row at Stokes’ first game in Seattle.
In summary, in order to get around this core regulation, Stokes would have to prove an affirmative case that he arrived at Rainier Beach High School for reasons entirely unrelated to athletics.
Tough sledding.
Second, in order to compete for the 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.
It is metaphysically impossible for Stokes to meet the mandatory registration deadline required to show up and compete in first semester athletics.
The following regulation was either ignored or changed to facilitate Stokes:
“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
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
