Class of 2021 SF Michael James commits to Louisville

The Oak Ridge wing becomes the fourth commitment for the Louisville men's basketball program in the 2021 recruiting cycle.

The recruiting trail for the University of Louisville men's basketball program is back on the right track, as four-star Class of 2021 small forward Michael James announced Wednesday that he has committed to the Cardinals.

The Orlando, Fla. native had included Louisville in his Top 8 schools back in July; choosing them over Arkansas, Alabama, Texas A&M, Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, Virginia Tech and USF.

"I wanted to go to a school where there was an opportunity to make an impact early and it turned out that it just happened to be at a school like Louisville," James wrote in his blog with SI All-American detailing why he chose the Cardinals.

Related: The Michael James Blog: This is Why I Committed to Louisville

A 6-foot-6 and 205-pound prospect, James is the No. 10 player in the state of Florida and the No. 70 player in the Class of 2021 according to Rivals.

This is a recruitment that the staff and specifically assistant coach Mike Pegues have invested a good amount of time in, and for good reason. He's a strong finisher, possesses his fair share of athleticism and has a bit of range as well. In his junior year, he averaged 18.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists over 30 games for Oak Ridge.

Michael James' Junior Year Highlights:

Following James' commitment, the Cardinals are now back up to a four-man '21 recruiting class. He joins point guards Bobby Pettiford Jr. & El Ellis and four-star combo forward Eric Van Der Heijden. Louisville previously held a commitment from four-star small forward Bryce Hopkins, but he decommitted from the program last month.

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