Guard/Forward Mike James Talks Transition to Louisville
(Photo of Michael James: HoopSeen)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After signing with the Louisville men's basketball program last November, class of 2021 guard/forward Mike James officially moved onto campus last month, alongside fellow newcomers Jarrod West, Noah Locke, El Ellis and Roosevelt Wheeler. He took some time to meet with the media, and discussed his transition to Louisville, what his role on the team will be, how the first month of practice has been, and more.
Below is the transcript from the press conference, as well as the video:
(On how the first month on campus has been)
My first month has been pretty good. It's a big jump going from high school to college. Workouts, they've been good. I've been getting adjusted to the weight room, getting used to the workouts on the court. So I would say my first month went pretty well. Other than that, I've been really enjoying my teammates, the staff, the coaches, just getting used to being here with all the guys. Getting acclimated and stuff, it's been a good time.
(On how he visualizes his role for his freshman year)
I visualize myself having a big impact, having a significant impact. But, all that stuff comes with how I do in practice, how I do in the weight room, how I take care of myself. All that stuff will play out. If I continue doing what I'm doing, continue impressing the coaches, continue playing well in practice, taking care of business, I see myself having a good year, having a good fit this year.
(On how the transition from high school to college went)
I'd say I got it pretty quick. You got to get it pretty quick if you want to do well. The main thing for me was being on schedule. Having a schedule, having a planned out day was different for me. High school, you just wake up, go to school, maybe get shots up in the morning and go to practice, you'd be done. At the D1 level, you got to plan time when you got to be there. Stretch out before the workout, make sure you get something to eat, after that morning workout, you got another workout at a planned time, and you got to be ready for that. Then we got stuff outside of the gym, stuff like yoga. Just different stuff that's been added to the day has been different. But I grabbed on to it pretty quick, and I got acclimated pretty quick. I's say I'm doing pretty good with that.
(On how he would describe practice)
It's very intense. It's a quick tempo, very fast tempo. We're getting up and down the floor a lot during the majority of practice. I really enjoy it. It's kind of what I'm used to in high school, so I'm pretty used to how we get up and down. It's been different, something to get used to, but it's been very up tempo, very fast, just a lot of playing five-on-five.
(On what his positional role will be, and where he is most comfortable)
I see myself as a wing guard. I can guard 1-4, and I'm pretty versatile on the offensive end. (Mack) can move me around anywhere from that one to four position, if need be, and that's how we've been playing. The one through four on our offense is pretty interchangeable, everybody can move into different spots. I feel like I can fit in pretty well with that with my versatility. On the defensive end, I feel like I can guard one through four, pretty versatile on that end too. I fit in pretty well.
(On if his 6-6, 195 measurables are still accurate)
Man, Coach (Andy) Kettler's got me, he's putting me in work. I'm 6-6, 215 now.
(On his impression of ACC basketball growing up in SEC territory)
ACC basketball, to me, was the best conference in the country for basketball. You got Duke, North Carolina, Louisville, Florida State, Virginia, all those big time schools. To me, it was the best conference to play in. I'm glad I'm in the conference, and that I get to play against some of the best teams in the country, and the best players in the country. I feel like in this conference, you'll go up against a pro every night. You get to prove yourself against this type of players, why not play in this conference?
(On how he can tailor his size to the ACC)
There's a lot of big athletic guys, guys that can shoot the ball, guys who can drive, so I feel like me being 6-6 and 215, if I shoot the ball pretty well, I'm pretty athletic for my size, I feel like I fit well in this conference. You gotta be able to shoot, dribble, be very skilled and athletic as well.
(On how he's been able to gain so much weight to his frame)
It's been mostly muscle. I came in at 208, so that 195 was kind of an old weight for me. So I've gained by probably around 6-7 pounds. For me, Kettler told me I got pretty good body coming in, I was already lifting before I came in, so I was in pretty good shape. So he just wanted me to tone, add more muscle and get stronger. That's what I've been doing. Just listening to him in the weight room and doing what I'm supposed to do, and eating right, of course.
(On what the leadership has been like through summer workouts)
We have multiple leaders. You got Malik (Williams), Jarrod (West), even Jae'Lyn Withers and Samuell Williamson, some of our other returning guys, even transfers like Noah Locke. I just tried to like take in as much as possible from those guys. They've been there, they've play already, some of them are seniors and juniors, so they've been through it all. I just try to soak up everything they tell me, listen, just be a sponge to everything from them to the coaches. We got a whole bunch of leaders on this team, and I feel like that'll be important for us in a season, just not having one guy, having multiple guys who lead.
(On what his experience has been like around his new teammates)
It's great. It's great. From day one, when we first stepped on campus, we all just gelled as a team. There's not one odd man out, we do everything together. We go out to eat together, we work out together, no matter what we do, we do it as a team. That's what I like. Being a part of a culture like that, and seeing where everybody gets along, and chemistry is on point. It'll transition to the court when we start playing, you'll see that as well. Everybody trusts one another, the chemistry like this, our bonds just grows as we play.
(On who has stood out the most in practice so far)
I wouldn't say one person. I feel like we've all been doing good, so I wouldn't just try to point out one person. We've all been making our leaps and jumps in practice, and doing good.
(On why many Florida schools might not have recruited him)
They didn't show much interest. I didn't receive offers from the biggest schools, like Florida or Florida State. I think the only big time school to offer me in Florida was USF. I guess they didn't rock with me. But, we'll see those guys on the schedule in Miami and Florida State.
(On getting picked last in their upcoming charity softball game)
Yeah, I'm not a softball player. But by a mile, I was not the worst player out there. We had a practice, and I'm not gonna throw any names out there-you know what, I am gonna throw names out there. Noah Locke and JJ Traynor were by far worse than me. But I think it was like a senior prank, or somebody like Malik and Jarrod was playing a prank on me, thought would be funny to pick me last. They picked up coach Ross (McMains), he was even out there. He didn't even come to the practice, and he's never played baseball in his life. How do you pick him over me? I don't understand that. I guess it was just a little joke, but you know what, I'm gonna get my work in, I'm gonna get my practice in, and I'll be ready July 19 for the game. I'm by far not the worst player there, some of those dudes can't hit the ball.
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