Even if you’re one of the best high school basketball players in the country, you can’t avoid the harsh realities of life.

Tyran Stokes, a five-star recruit who is being closely watched, had his car broken into on December 29, 2024. The 6-foot-7 prospect, instead of asking for sympathy, was honest about what happened.

“This isn’t a post to make people feel bad about me or any of that,” he explained on Instagram. “I just wanted to show that at the end of the day, I’m still human, just like all of y’all. I still go through the same things a lot of y’all do. And no, this isn’t okay—but it’s life, and I just gotta understand that. But I also want y’all to understand that I’m human.”

Stokes was upset because the thieves broke the window and steering column of his car while trying to steal it. As of now, there is no information about who the culprit is. But his calm response showed a level of maturity that is rare in today’s celebrity-obsessed culture of elite high school athletes. Social media only shows the wins and glory, not the real pressure cooker that elite recruits live in.

Stokes’ honesty comes at a very important time. He left Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks, California, in November due to suspensions and fights, and then he transferred to Seattle’s Rainier Beach High School. But there was a lot of controversy around it. Questions about whether he was eligible and whether he got special treatment have made an already difficult journey even harder.

However, Stokes’ maturity off the court didn’t match up with the harsh reality on the hardwood at the Les Schwab Invitational.

Tyran Stokes delivers an elite performance despite Rainier Beach’s loss

Rainier Beach, the top-ranked team in Washington, came into Sunday’s game against Southridge with a lot of confidence. They left after their first loss of the season. The Skyhawks shocked everyone with a 69-65 win, leaving Stokes and the Vikings looking for answers.

The five-star prospect had an amazing game, scoring 27 points, grabbing 12 rebounds, and handing out three assists. But his strength wasn’t enough to stop Southridge’s firepower. Brooks Fortune came off the bench and lit it up, hitting six three-pointers and scoring 22 points. Elijah Thompson scored 12 points, had seven assists, and grabbed six rebounds, showing how balanced the attack was that beat Rainier Beach.

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Southridge was in charge of the game the whole time. They were up 31-22 at halftime and held off every attempt to come back. The Skyhawks shot 46 percent overall and made 11 three-pointers, which was too much for Rainier Beach’s defense to handle. Freshman JJ Crawford, the son of NBA great Jamal Crawford, scored 15 points for the Vikings, but it wasn’t enough.

Rainier Beach will play Barlow on Monday, and they really need to win. Southridge moves on to play Sierra Canyon, the sixth-best team in the country. For Stokes, the loss makes his week worse because it shows that even the best players can lose sometimes, no matter how hard they try.