The young point guard from Olympia High School watched with great interest from his seat at Additional Financial Arena in Orlando Sunday. The hometown Central Florida Knights had just mounted a comeback to tie Cincinnati's Bearcats at 71.
UC coach Wes Miller called timeout with a little over 11 seconds left on the clock. A screen was set for Bearcats grad student point guard David DeJulius who retrieved the ball. A few bounces and a skip later, No. 5 was floating the ball through the strings giving the Bearcats a crucial American Athletic Conference road win, 73-71.
The hometown crowd was stunned.
More:David DeJulius buzzer-beater gives Cincinnati basketball win over UCF
More:5 thoughts on UC's road win in Orlando vs. Central Florida
Edgerrin "Jizzle" James Jr. was not. He is tight with the Bearcats. The four-star, four-year starter for Olympia's Titans committed to Miller who pursued him heavily along with Associate Head Coach Chad Dollar. Jizzle committed in October, signed in November and celebrated a Bearcat victory in February as his future team won at the buzzer.
"It was a great game!" James said. "It's a great rivalry and it was cool to see the team play. It made me excited for next year."
James said he could see himself driving the lane like DeJulius for the Bearcats. His trainer, Olympia assistant and AAU Florida Rebels coach Antonio Owens, said James is a man of many moves.
"I call him a Swiss Army knife because he does some of everything," Owens said. "He can penetrate. He can shoot. He's really improved his jumper this season, his 3-point shot. He has a nice physical physique so he's very strong and can bully opponents and he's a dog on defense."
The Bearcats beat out Georgia, North Carolina State, Georgetown, Ole Miss and Providence among others for the services of young James. Both Rivals and 247Sports.com list him as a four-star recruit. Rivals has the 6-foot-1, 185-pounder as No. 17 in the nation at his position, with 247Sports ranking him ninth. Bearcats head coach Miller has his own opinion.
"I never believed a whole lot in the rankings and all that," Miller said. "I think he's the best point guard in his class and he's not ranked there yet. And, I say the word yet, because I think he'll be seen that way. He's terrific. He gets anywhere he wants with the ball. He's strong with the ball and explosive and gets anywhere on the floor. He's extremely competitive, extremely hard working and his family and the people around him have instilled some values that I think Bearcat fans can really resonate with."
In Orlando, Owens and James aren't looking at rankings. The focus is getting better every day.
"Jizzle's a hard worker," Owens said. "He comes from hard work. He comes with the running back mindset: every day put your head down. I think the Bearcat fans will be happy with what Jizzle's going to bring, a lot of excitement, athleticism and passion for the game."
Those who follow the NFL know the name. Jizzle is named after his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Edgerrin James. At 6-foot and 219 pounds, the elder James ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and starred for the Miami Hurricanes, Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals. He made four Pro Bowls and ran for 12,246 yards and 80 touchdowns in 11 NFL seasons before entering the hallowed halls in Canton three years ago.
Jizzle has a muscular build but gave up football in the seventh grade. His running now is focused squarely toward an orange rim.
"I'm an all-around guard, really," James said. "I can do it all. That's what I pride myself in, being able to play both ways (offense and defense) and being able to win."
As of Tuesday, Olympia High School was four games away from a Florida state title, something he'd like to have in hand before leaving the state.
At Olympia, according to MaxPreps, James came into this week averaging 23 points per game, 4.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting 53% from the field and 41.3% from the 3-point line. As a freshman he averaged 11.4 points per game, then 14.8 as a sophomore and 25.4 as a junior. His high game was 47 in the Martin Luther King Jr. Dream Classic that Miller and Dollar attended.
James committed to the Bearcats after attending a UC football victory at Nippert over Indiana. He also loves Fifth Third Arena.
"I love everything about it," he said. "It just feels special."
James will join former Taft and current Arizona Compass 6-foot-6 swingman Rayvon Griffith next season at UC, along with Kilgore Community College (Texas) transfer Dayveon Thomas, another 6-foot-1-inch guard who played high school ball in South Carolina.
![Olympia High School Jizzle James (2) clashes with Covington Catholic guard Evan Ipsaro (2) as Covington Catholic takes on Olympia High School in the Kingdom of the Sun basketball tourney Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, at Vanguard High School in Ocala, Fla. [Alan Youngblood/\Ocala Star-Banner]](https://cdn.cincylink.com/pub/content/uploads/sites/27/2023/02/1677008704_794_Edgerrin-Jizzle-James-ready-to-be-a-UC-Bearcat-basketball.jpg)
Griffith won a state title last season with the Taft Senators. Thomas committed earlier this month. Conceivably, the Bearcats could return four of their current five starters with the exception of DeJulius who is out of eligibility. The 2020 coronavirus season added an extra year to everyone. However, the ever-changing transfer portal and the step up to Big 12 competition could also come into play. He knows Griffith but has yet to meet Thomas.
"It's going to be great," James said of the new league. "It's going to be a great experience and a great conference for basketball. I'm cool with all of the guys."
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