Gamecock target Josiah James evolving into one of state’s best hoops prospects
Early on, Porter-Gaud coach John Pearson knew he had something in Josiah James and wasn’t afraid to put him out on the court.
As an eighth grader, James started for the Cyclones and has played an integral part in Porter-Gaud’s back-to-back SCISA 3A championship teams the past two seasons.
“He has a very IQ and very good ball skills. He can do anything he can set his mind to,” Pearson said. “He is a true point guard, skill wise, mentality wise. He keeps order in the game. He is going to be a good one.”
James didn’t start playing point guard until he was playing 16U where they made the switch in practice.
Pearson said one of James’ best attributes is that he is a traditional pass-first point guard and loves getting his teammates involved above anything else. James is continuing to work on his jump shot but doesn’t need to be relied on as the primary scorer with a talented cast around him.
James has plenty of options to distribute the ball with Vanderbilt signee Aaron Nesmith, Yale signee Jake Lanford and Harrison Whatley, who is committed to play at New York University, on the team.
“When I feel like I’m in it is when I am assisting or hitting my pull-up. I have been working on my shot,” James said. “But when I’m feeding the big guys we have is when I feel like we are at our best.”
The 6-foot-7 junior is No. 3 ranked prospect in the state for the talented Class of 2019 and is in the top 60 by Rivals, 247Sports and ESPN.
South Carolina and Clemson both have offered James and other Power Five offers include Texas, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Tennessee. He has taken unofficial visits to Clemson and South Carolina and plans to take more to other schools after the Christmas break.
James hopes to tentatively announce his college choice by the end of this summer’s AAU season.
James visited Clemson for the football game against Auburn and is impressed with the Tigers’ coaching staff and watched their win over South Carolina on Tuesday.
South Carolina head coach Frank Martin and assistant Perry Clark and Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams were there Wednesday to see James play against Lower Richland. He scored 17 points and had eight rebounds in the win.
James has a good relationship with Martin and was an AAU teammate with Martin’s son, Brandon. He said he hears from USC every week or two.
“I definitely love coach Martin and the way they play. He gets you better,” Martin said. “That is what I look for in a coach. The ultimate goal is to play at the professional level and coach Martin can definitely help me do that.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2017 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Gamecock target Josiah James evolving into one of state’s best hoops prospects."