SC’s top basketball prospect trims list to four, includes one in-state school

One in-state school remains in play for the class of 2019’s top basketball recruit in South Carolina.

Frankie Mansfield of the Molutrie News tweeted Wednesday that Charleston’s Josiah James has trimmed his list to four schools -- Clemson, Duke, Michigan State and Tennessee. A source with direct knowledge of the situation later confirmed the news to The State.

“It’s a great list of schools to go and visit and try to get to know before he makes his decision, no question,” said Porter Gaud coach John Pearson. “I mean, I’m happy for him. He had several schools to choose from that all would have been very good for him. To narrow it, I know that takes a little bit of pressure off of him to be able to narrow his focus.”

This all comes just over a month after James included USC in his final nine.

At the time, James, a five-star point guard who attends Porter-Gaud High School, was playing with Carolina pledge Trae Hannibal on the same AAU team.

“I was surprised,” Pearson said. “I thought that Carolina did a great job of getting to know Josiah and the family. I don’t know what it came down to, and that’s fine. It’s a process Josiah and his family have to go through and they have to take the phone calls and they have to make that decision.”

James is ranked as the overall No. 12 player in the nation, according to 247Sports.

Mansfield also reported that James will visit Tennessee, Clemson and Duke in order in September. His visit to Michigan State, his father’s alma mater, will come in October.

“They (Clemson) were able to forge a good enough relationship,” Pearson said. “It was a process. Clemson was in there and did a great job and I think it has intrigued Josiah to the point that he’s going to make an official visit.”

James is the second highly ranked SC payer to recently trim his list and include just one in-state school. Ridge View’s Malcolm Wilson,a 6-foot-11 center, on Saturday narrowed things down to Clemson, Georgetown and Rice.

Hannibal, a point guard from Hartsville, remains USC’s lone ‘19 commitment. The Gamecocks remain in play for North Carolina’s Wendell Moore, New York’s Kofi Cockburn and Canada’s Quincy Guerrier.

This story was originally published August 15, 2018 at 9:46 PM.