On Saturday, Will James announced his commitment to Toledo University. This was a proud time for all his supporters and a devastating moment for all the schools who crossed their fingers in hopes of securing the 6-foot-4 guard. It’s been a long, taxing journey for James, but his mentality and approach never wavered. The first three years of his high school career consisted of solid team success and quality individual production, yet saw minimal traction within his recruitment.
The summer seasons were no different, as James would put forth gaudy stat lines for Strong Center seemingly every contest. He certainly had the attention of many, but coaches continued to overlook the production and explored other avenues. Last high school season, James took the next step within his progression by becoming a knockdown perimeter shooter while shining as an all-around leader and focal point for Holly Springs.
This past summer James opted to make the transition to SW15H Elite. Holding a lone Radford offer entering the travel ball season, James would collect 15 scholarships from May 22 to June 30—an incredibly rare feat in the current recruiting climate. He’s a highly malleable player who can find ways to impact a game alongside any collection of teammates. James can initiate the offense, score in a variety of ways, and constantly make his presence felt as a defender or rebounder. He possesses a strong frame with the IQ, toughness, and physicality to overwhelm opponents on both ends of the floor. James has proven that he’ll do whatever it takes to win. His unselfishness and understanding of how to contribute to the bigger picture will always make him a successful player. We caught up with James to discuss everything surrounding his recruitment, high school career, and expectations going forward.
JB: Talk about your recruitment process and what ultimately led to your decision to commit to Toledo.
WJ: My recruitment process was slightly different from other top-ranked players in my class. I didn’t really attract the attention of college coaches early on in the summer before my junior season like my classmates. That really inspired me to keep my head down, stay in the gym, and remain patient. In recruiting, everyone’s timeline is different, so my main focus was not to get caught up in what everyone else was getting early on but rather to stay locked in on what I wanted to achieve. Later in my recruitment when things started to pick up in late May, it felt like a weight lifted off of my shoulders when I received those first few offers, but I stayed the course and knew more was to come. That led to me playing in live periods stress-free, which helped me perform at a higher level.
What led me to commit to Toledo in the end was the vibe and energy I felt the moment I stepped on campus. My official visit there gave me an at-home feeling and I thought to myself, “This is somewhere where I can be comfortable and successful.” I could tell the program had a great culture built up over recent years and you could see that in the way the players and coaches interacted with each other. On top of that, the basketball piece was a great fit for my playstyle and Coach Kowalczyk’s system has been pretty successful over the few years alongside his player development.
JB: Speak about your recruitment and how everything unfolded over the summer, what do you accredit that to?
WJ: As soon as the postseason ended for us at Holly Springs, Coach Hepp and Coach Phillips put all the time and energy they had into putting together some good film and sending my name out to every possible contact that they both had. They put me in the best position possible to have coaches at my games in the upcoming Spring live events. On top of that, Coach Rhodes and Coach Phillips had me on a workout plan strategically designed to help me sharpen up my game in the areas that needed it most, going into live play. In addition to my proactive high school coaches, having the opportunity to be a part of Coach Scott Wood’s SW15H Elite AAU Team, an already skilled and loaded roster, put me on the stage I needed to showcase my abilities in the presence of many coaches throughout the Spring/Summer live events. Coach Scott reached out and invited me to play long before my productive Junior season. He saw something in me before it showed in my early performances as the season kicked off. So, I really credit my recruiting success to them for putting me in the best position possible.
JB: How do you see yourself fitting within Toledo’s system/structure?
WJ: Coach Kowalczyk’s preferred playstyle is more up-tempo, scrappy, and aggressive on both sides of the ball. I feel like I can fit into that play style perfectly with my size and solid frame for my position. I definitely have room to grow and improve but the more I watch Toledo’s games this upcoming season, I plan on trying to pick up the habits that their current guards have, offensively and defensively, and implement those habits into my playstyle during my high school season. By doing this, it would prepare and allow me to build those habits early on so it won’t be as challenging learning Coach K’s system once I step on campus. I feel like offensively I could really push the pace off of a make or miss and create for others and or myself. That is one of the details of the game that they really take pride in in their system.
JB: What strengths are you bringing to the program, and what do you want to continue improving? Thank you!
WJ: I feel that one of my best strengths is that I am a great teammate that plays unselfishly and shares the ball. I always want the best for the team and I believe I bring a high motor and a winning mentality. That off the back is something that my future teammates won’t have to worry about. Along with that, I am pretty vocal and communicate confidently to my teammates which is important because as a guard, you have to use your voice and lead. I know earning playing time early as a freshman is a challenge, however, I know that I’m willing to put in the work and do what’s needed of me to get on the court as much as I can. I feel that I am useful and can make an impact in multiple areas of the game, so I can bring whatever is needed or asked of me early on as a freshman.
A few things I want to continue improving on is being quick with my decisions and not second-guessing myself. I would also like to just move quicker speed-wise in general.
I know at the next level guys are going to be just as strong, if not way stronger than me, so I will need to speed up my handle to get by defenders that can bump me back harder than I may bump them. I know at the high school level, I have no problem getting by and muscling up smaller guards, but at the next level, it’s faster and much more physical. So, I will definitely be looking to take a huge leap in those areas from now until I arrive on campus for that first practice.
We also reached out to Coach Scott Wood and Cooper Hart of SW15H Elite for comments on their newly committed player. Coach Wood on James: Will has a game that will transition nicely to the next level. Especially with his college-ready body. His ability to play combo as well as PG makes him a great piece on any team. He is only scratching the surface of how good he can be. Coach Hart followed it up by stating, “Will is a great person who I’ve had the joy of watching grow as a player since his freshman year. He’s highly talented and is an absolute workaholic. Toledo is getting a basketball junkie who is only beginning to tap into his potential.”