SPRINGFIELD — Every time Bryce James touched the ball in the first half on Saturday night, the fans in attendance at Blake Arena in Springfield, Massachusetts got loud and on their feet.
Not because James was the best basketball player on the court, but because of things that are outside of his control, like his father being arguably the greatest basketball player of all-time, LeBron James.
The way fans cheered for Bryce James in the first half against Grayson (GA) was the way a crowd would cheer when a well-liked bench-warmer gets in the game; they just wanted to see him do something.
James played stiff in his first few minutes off the bench, taking an outside shot from the top of the key and missing. But once he got going, the tone in the cheers from the crowd changed.
They were no longer cheers for the novelty of watching the son of LeBron James play basketball, they were because he played like the best player on the court.
Sierra Canyon guard, and son of Lebron James, Bryce James, won MVP honors for the team’s game against Grayson (GA) at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts on Jan. 18, 2024.Gage Nutter
Bryce James finished the game with a team-high 14 points (4-for-6 3PT), four rebounds and a team-high four steals. James was named the game’s Most Valuable Player for his efforts.
The Arizona commit made his first outside shot of the game because of movement off the ball. James lost his defender in the paint, bolted outside the arc, got a clear shot off a screen and scored.
With the senior getting hot from outside the arc, he forced defenders to close out even tighter on him. He used that to his advantage, beating a defender off the dribble with a shot fake outside the arc, getting to the right elbow and scoring with a jump shot to put Sierra Canyon (CA) up by 18 late in the third quarter.
James closed out the quarter in style by making a tough 3-pointer at the buzzer to get the crowd on its feet and giving him a team-high 11 points.
On the team’s first possession of the fourth quarter, James took a deep 3-pointer early in the shot clock and made it, officially turning the cheers for novelty fans had earlier in the game into cheers for James showcasing his skills. The senior’s final bucker of the game was a two-handed slam on a backdoor cut later in the final quarter.
The senior also played like one of the Trailblazers’ best defenders on Saturday, staying physical in the paint, pushing opposing players off the low block and making entry passes difficult.
James is a three-star recruit and is ranked No. 240 in the Class of 2025 according to 247 Sports. He verbally committed to Arizona on Jan. 1. The senior also had offers from Duquesne and Ohio State. Following his career night in Springfield on Saturday, there’s a good chance James will climb basketball recruit lists across the country.
Director of Scouting at 247 Sports Adam Finkelstein said in his scouting report of Bryce James from 2023 that James “possesses clear shooting potential with naturally soft touch, compact release, and the ability to make both threes and pull-ups.”
Bryce’s older brother, Bronny, finished his high school career at Sierra Canyon in 2023 as the No. 28 recruit in the country according to 247 Sports before going on to play a season at the University of Southern California and getting drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023 in the second round.
