Alrighty, this is long overdue! A new recruiting notes thread for men's basketball! If you missed anything from the previous months, that thread is here. First of all, a new offer was put on in June to 2026 4-star power forward T.J. Crumble. Also mentioned in the previous thread, but since it happened in June, I'll lead with that news.
After hiring Kyle Smith as head coach, Stanford landed a number of transfers this spring. The roster is right here on GoStanford.com. @KingsofCali started a really good thread discussing possible rotations for the upcoming season. I shared my thoughts in that thread. If you missed any of that conversation, click here.
I do an article coming on out 2026 4-star shooting guard Cameron Holmes. So you all have that to look forward to. If you missed the recent national piece on him, you can check that out here. I also have a piece on incoming freshman Tallis Toure coming out as well.
Overall, I think Kyle Smith has done a nice job of shaping the roster for this coming season. I think the transfers he's brought in will help. I think Saran and Okpara in particular were really good pick ups. Though I think Sellers has more room for growth and player development is Kyle Smith's thing. Jaylen Blakes should provide veteran leadership and defense. Preferred walk-on Cole Kastner probably won't give them much, but he's got some size and athleticism. And then the freshmen Evan Stinson, Tallis Toure, and Donavin Young are guys who the staff feels are real diamonds in the rough type of finds. While I wouldn't expect much from them out of the chute, they do appear to have bright futures.
As for the returning guys, having Maxime Raynaud back is huge. He's gonna be the feature player and he seems ready to take that on. Hopefully Agarwal and Thompson will take a step forward and be able to contribute some. Benny Gealer has already proven himself to be a solid point guard.
More thoughts in the thread on rotations, but that's kinda where things sit right now with the team. I do think one difference we're gonna see with recruiting is probably less high end commits. That's not to say Smith won't land anybody who is ranked high by Rivals or the other scouting services, but he's more looking for guys who he thinks he can develop and mold into something good. He doesn't look at high schoolers as finished products. Which is good. They're not. Even the best of them need to improve a lot.
P.S. I also think it's fair to wonder how much Smith really wanted Stojakovic and Carlyle back. Both guys are very much oriented towards getting to the NBA and getting their shots. Smith is a coach who wants guys who will buy into the team concept of basketball and be more oriented towards playing on a good team. Given that, I think Smith is probably just fine with those two guys leaving.
Basketball Recruiting - MBB recruiting notes: January-May
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stanford.forums.rivals.com
After hiring Kyle Smith as head coach, Stanford landed a number of transfers this spring. The roster is right here on GoStanford.com. @KingsofCali started a really good thread discussing possible rotations for the upcoming season. I shared my thoughts in that thread. If you missed any of that conversation, click here.
Basketball - Mens Basketball roster/rotation
Now that transfer season is over (I think), I'd love to see a roster and projected rotation for next year. There were too many moving pieces this offseason for me to keep track of. Sorry if this was addressed elsewhere!
stanford.forums.rivals.com
I do an article coming on out 2026 4-star shooting guard Cameron Holmes. So you all have that to look forward to. If you missed the recent national piece on him, you can check that out here. I also have a piece on incoming freshman Tallis Toure coming out as well.
Four-star Cam Holmes intrigued by Michigan, Dayton, Stanford
Holmes ins the younger brother of Dayton star DeRon Holmes II.
basketballrecruiting.rivals.com
Overall, I think Kyle Smith has done a nice job of shaping the roster for this coming season. I think the transfers he's brought in will help. I think Saran and Okpara in particular were really good pick ups. Though I think Sellers has more room for growth and player development is Kyle Smith's thing. Jaylen Blakes should provide veteran leadership and defense. Preferred walk-on Cole Kastner probably won't give them much, but he's got some size and athleticism. And then the freshmen Evan Stinson, Tallis Toure, and Donavin Young are guys who the staff feels are real diamonds in the rough type of finds. While I wouldn't expect much from them out of the chute, they do appear to have bright futures.
As for the returning guys, having Maxime Raynaud back is huge. He's gonna be the feature player and he seems ready to take that on. Hopefully Agarwal and Thompson will take a step forward and be able to contribute some. Benny Gealer has already proven himself to be a solid point guard.
More thoughts in the thread on rotations, but that's kinda where things sit right now with the team. I do think one difference we're gonna see with recruiting is probably less high end commits. That's not to say Smith won't land anybody who is ranked high by Rivals or the other scouting services, but he's more looking for guys who he thinks he can develop and mold into something good. He doesn't look at high schoolers as finished products. Which is good. They're not. Even the best of them need to improve a lot.
P.S. I also think it's fair to wonder how much Smith really wanted Stojakovic and Carlyle back. Both guys are very much oriented towards getting to the NBA and getting their shots. Smith is a coach who wants guys who will buy into the team concept of basketball and be more oriented towards playing on a good team. Given that, I think Smith is probably just fine with those two guys leaving.
