Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova
It’s the summer of 2023, the date is July 3rd to be exact, and the stage is none other than the Nike EYBL Peach Jam inside the Riverview Park Activities Center in North Augusta, South Carolina, which is a stone’s throw across the 13th Street Bridge from Augusta, Georgia. For those that know about the Peach Jam, it’s a week-long basketball extravaganza where three age groups (15’s, 16’s and 17’s) compete to see who will end up as the champion.
On this particular date, there’s a big game taking place on Court 6, which has a court, a small amount of bleachers that seat a couple hundred spectators and also has a balcony for spectators to watch the action up top once capacity downstairs has been set.
The game on this date was a 16U game which had Boston’s own Expressions Elite going against the famed Strive for Greatness program out of Los Angeles, California, which is sponsored by NBA superstar and future Hall of Famer, LeBron James, which featured his younger son, Bryce James, who is now a freshman at the University of Arizona and also last year’s McDonald’s All-American, Brayden Burries, who is also at Arizona.
During the game, Burries was making his presence felt with his scoring ability. However, there was another guard that was holding his own as well. This guard was making acrobatic plays, finishing in transition, getting to the basket and also making jumpers. His surname was also James, as well. Nigel James, Jr. to be exact.
A native of Huntington, Long Island, the 6-foot guard is a very dynamic player that is known for his athleticism and his guard play. These days, he’s doing his seasonal work at Marquette University and on a grand stage.
But how did he get to this stage is the question?
Well, first things first, we’ve got to talk about the early days. Originally from Harlem, he was raised in Long Island, but also played his basketball in the city. Early on, he played for programs such as Kips Bay and also the New York Rens.
He first started out high school at the prestigious Cushing Academy in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, where he flourished in the NEPSAC as a freshman and sophomore. But after the Peach Jam three years ago, his game grew and colleges started to get familiar with him, starting with that particular performance against the other James and Strive for Greatness on Court 5 at the Riverview Park Activities Center.
It was as a junior that everything became a revelation, when he transferred to New York State powerhouse, Long Island Lutheran High School, a prominent school out in Brookville, Long Island, that has produced countless Division I players and NBA draft picks, including his teammate, V.J. Edgecombe, who is now a rookie for the Philadelphia 76ers and the recipient of the MVP award of this year’s Rising Stars Challenge during NBA All-Star Weekend.
As a junior, he averaged 11.9 points and 4.3 assists per game. Last season as a senior for the Crusaders, he averaged 11.3 points, 4.5 assists and 2.4 steals per game, and helped lead them to an appearance in the Nike EYBL Scholastic League championship game in North Augusta, South Carolina, as well as a quarterfinal appearance at Chipotle Nationals. In the ESPN national rankings for the class of 2025, he was rated at No. 68 by SportsCenter Next/ESPN. He would also win Sixth Man of the Year and would also be a part of the All-Defensive team on the Nike EYBL Scholastic League.
By then, his college choice had already been decided.
On July 16th, 2024, ironically, one year after the Peach Jam performance against Strive for Greatness, he was back in the same gym with Expressions, competing for a championship. But in between that time, there was something special taking place, which was his announcement.
Because of his torrid play, he was recruited by many of the premier high-major programs around the nation. But when all was said & done, flanked by his teammates and friends, he made his collegiate decision. The choice would be Marquette University, which is coached by head coach, Shaka Smart, one of the most prominent coaches in the college game. He made it official on Nov. 13th is he signed his national letter of intent to play the Golden Eagles.
Early on, he showed plenty of potential with the Golden Eagles. In his third game at the United Center in Chicago, on Nov. 9th, he held his own against Indiana in the 100-77 loss, as he had 16 points off the bench.
After that performance, he would be a starter ever since. During the non-conference portion of the season, he had some great games against teams such as Dayton in a 77-71 overtime loss at home on Nov. 19th, when he scored 18 points, a 20-point win against Oklahoma on Nov. 28th in a 75-74 loss in a neutral-site game at Credit 1 Union Arena in Chicago, and then a 21-point game in a home win on Dec. 2nd, when Marquette won against Valparaiso.
And then Big East play came and then that’s when the show really got rolling. On Dec. 20th on the road against Creighton, he had 23 points, six rebounds and four steals in an 84-63 loss. There were also three games in which he scored 30 or more points, with the first one being on Jan. 10th, when he scored 31 points in a 76-73 loss to Villanova. The second one was a major performance in a 105-104 overtime home win on Jan. 19th, when he had 38 points and eight assists. And then the final 30-ball was on Feb. 14th against Xavier on the road, when he 30 points and 12 assists in a 96-88 loss.
There was also the statement game against UConn, who was rated at No. 4 in the AP national poll, on March 7th in the final regular-season game in which he led the Golden Eagles to a upset win, knocking off the Huskies, 68-62 and putting up 19 points and seven assists.
And how could one forget the home game on Feb. 18th against the defending Big East champions, St. John’s, in which he made the acrobatic underhanded layup over two defenders that was a SportsCenter highlight-reel worthy play? In that game, he had 25 points.
It was safe to say that in the biggest of games, he would always show out, no matter who the opponent was. Unfortunately, the Golden Eagles had a very dismal season and would go on to finish the season at 12-20. However, for James, his play would earn him honors such as an All-Freshman team selection, third-team All Big-East and the Big East Freshman of the Year award. He would go on to finish the season with an average of 16.4 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Immediately after the end of the season, he announced his intention to come back to Marquette for his sophomore season. Which begs for us to ask the question,
“What will he bring forth in year 2?” ‘What can we expect of him?”
Those answers will be answered soon enough. However, the city of Milwaukee has themselves a new star outside of Giannis Antentokounmpo. Marquette University has their own rising young star. Long Island has one of their own making noise for themselves on the national spotlight.
All it took was a summer on the Nike EYBL circuit and grind and dedication to change everything.
Dave's JOINT 
Leave a comment