After three years away from his hometown – one year at IMG Academy and two at the University of Florida – Isaiah Stokes has returned to the Bluff City.

On Tuesday, Stokes enrolled at the University of Memphis, and he will now be playing for two of his former AAU coaches – Penny Hardaway and Mike Miller.

Stokes' relationships and ties run deep in the city of Memphis, and he said he thought about playing in front of his hometown crowd at the FedExForum for the first time on Tuesday afternoon.

"I really just thought about playing at the FedExFourm, and it's really going to be a surreal moment," Stokes said. "Hopefully the crowd is behind me and cheering me on because that is going to be a highlight of my life."

The 6-foot-9 big man is now on campus, and he said he has recently thought a lot about becoming a Tiger.

Despite going to Florida out of high school, Stokes admitted it's always been a dream for him to play for Memphis.

"I actually get the jitters everyday thinking about it [being a Tiger]," Stokes said. "Playing in front of this wonderful city has always been a dream for me since I was a little kid. I'm just ready to go out there and do my thing."

After he announced he was transferring from Florida in early July, Stokes had multiple schools reach out to him, including Georgia Tech, Miami and USC.

Although Stokes listened to the pitches from the other schools, he admitted that he knew it was going to be Memphis the whole time.

"It was a no-brainer," Stokes said. "I felt like it was a great fit for me, and I feel like it's time to bring a national championship back home to the city. I'm doing it for the people of Memphis, and I'm just here to win."

In his two years at Florida, Stokes did something that no player on Memphis' roster has done: went to the NCAA Tournament.

Stokes didn't play in the Gators two tournament games during his freshman year due to injury, but he still soaked in the experience. In his redshirt freshman year, Stokes did play in the Gators NCAA Tournament run adding to his experience.

Memphis is one of the youngest teams in the country going into the 2019-2020 season, so adding an experienced veteran was a big move for Hardaway and the Tigers staff.

"I feel like I can guide them in the right way as far as winning because I was at a winning program in Florida," Stokes said. "I honestly feel like I can help this team reach a national championship."

With his experience in college basketball and his overall personality, Stokes said he is primed and ready to be a leader for the Tigers. The 6-foot-9 forward understand what it takes to win games and play for a big time program, and he added that he plans to teach all of Memphis' freshmen the ropes.

"Most of those guys haven't played a minute of college basketball, so I feel like I can come in and be a leader for them and really help them," Stokes said. "I want to be vocal, gel those guys together and really be a good locker room guy."

As of right now, it is still unknown whether the former Gator will eligible or not. Regardless of if Stokes plays his first game as a Tiger this season or next, he certainly brings experience and leadership to a young, hungry team.