Mike James

Position:
Guard/Forward
Height:
6-5
Weight:
200
Class:
Redshirt Sophomore
Hometown:
Orlando, Fla.
High School:
Oak Ridge HS

Redshirt sophomore year in 2023-24

Started in all 32 games for the Cardinals, averaging 33.3 minutes per game
Logged a career-high 26 points with five made 3’s in 39 minutes at Miami on January 10, Louisville’s first ACC road win of the season
Made 5 of 7 3-pointers and scored 23 points in 37 minutes against Pitt on January 6
Scored in double digits in 22 of his 32 games
Had his first career double-double with a then-career high 25 points and career-high 10 rebounds in the season opener against UMBC on November 6
Averaged 12.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per contest
Was the team’s leading scorer in eight games
Attempted a season-high 19 free throws against Florida State on February 3

Redshirt Freshman Year in 2022-23

• Started all 32 games, averaging 10.1 points (second-best on the team) and 3.3 rebounds in 31 minutes per game
• Shot 45.3% from the field overall, 35.7% from 3-point range and 78.1% from the free-throw line
• Nearly doubled both his scoring and shot attempts from the first 14 games of the season to the final 18 games of the season
• Fourth-leading scorer in the ACC among freshmen; 1 of 2 ACC freshmen to average at least 10 points and three rebounds per outing
• First UofL freshman to score at least 17 points in three straight games since DeJuan Wheat in 1993-94
• Scored a career-high 24 points twice against Wake Forest and Virginia, which tied for the fourth-highest scoring output by an ACC freshman during the season and was the most points by a Louisville freshman since V.J. King in 2017
• First UofL freshman to score at least 24 points multiple times in their rookie season since Francisco Garcia in 2002-03
• Named ACC Rookie of the Week on Jan. 9 after averaging 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals against Syracuse and Wake Forest
• Tallied 24 points and eight rebounds against Wake, becoming just the fifth UofL freshman since 1952 to have those numbers in a game
• Scored 16 points vs. Bellarmine in season opener, the fifth-most ever by a UofL freshman in their debut
• Named to 2022-23 ACC All-Academic Team

Freshman Year at Louisville in 2021-22

• Suffered a torn Achilles tendon in his left leg in practice on Oct. 6, 2021 and missed the entire 2021-22 season, a redshirt year for James. He had successful surgery on Oct. 8 to repair the injury and has since been fully cleared to return.

High School

• Averaged 19.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 blocked shots points per game to lead Oak Ridge to a 23-3 record and the state 7A semifinals. He shot 58 percent from the field, including 44 percent from three-point range, and made 79 percent of his free throws.
• The 2020-21 Orlando Sentinel boys basketball player of the year, he was also voted Class 7A Player of the Year in Florida by a panel of coaches and media.
• The 2021 FACA District 11 Class 7A Player of the Year, the versatile James was ranked No. 66 nationally by Rivals.com, No. 77 in the 247Sports national composite and is No. 77 in the ESPN 100.
• James amassed 32 points and 24 rebounds in a regional win over Riverview on the way to the state semifinals.
• Averaged 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists as a junior in 2019-20 in helping Oak Ridge achieve a 21-9 record while reaching the Class 7A state semifinals.
• A 2019-20 first team all-state selection and Orlando Sentinel All-Area team member.
• James was a 7A State All-Tournament Team selection in 2020 when he scored 27 of his team’s 55 points in the state semifinals before colliding with another player at the end of regulation (8-12 FG, 4-6 3FG, 7-8 FT). He missed the overtime period when his team fell.
• Chose to attend Louisville after also including Alabama, Arkansas, NC State and Texas A&M among his final choices.

Personal

• Born Sept. 9, 2002 ... Son of Serena and Douglas James ... Has two older sisters, Mikayla and Daesha ... Major is sport administration.
• Personal goal at UofL is to win a national championship.
• Enjoys playing video games in his spare time.
• Chose to attend UofL because “it was the best fit for me.”
• His father Douglas and mother Serena had the greatest influence on his athletic career.
• When playing basketball as a kid, he pretended he was LeBron James.
• Best thing about being a Cardinal is the culture.
• If you walked into his dorm room, the first thing you would notice is how neat it is.
• Best basketball advice given to him was to work hard all of the time.
• Best moment of his athletic career was committing to UofL.
• Feels like Damson Idris would be the best actor to play him in a movie.
• Most proud of his accomplishments.
• Best athlete he ever faced was Jayson Tatum.
• Would most like to meet LeBron James.

Favorites

Basketball Player: LeBron James
NBA Team: Orlando Magic
Athlete, other than a basketball player: Tom Brady
TV Show: Snowfall
Movie: Lion King
Actor: Denzel Washington
Comedian: Kevin Hart
Musical Artist: Gunna
UofL Class: SPAD courses
Website: YouTube.com
Instagram Follow: @kingjames
Twitter Follow: @KingJames
Food: Chicken
Midnight Snack: Oreos
Vacation spot: Miami