He’s Pretty Good, For a New Player
BOSTON – How many 6’9″ young men who grow up in Brooklyn don’t play basketball most of their life? There likely aren’t very many that come to mind. But whoever you come up with, make sure you include Shawn James in that list.
Observers of recent Northeastern games might find that hard to believe. The freshman center leads the nation in blocked shots with 5.6 per game, though that’s just the beginning. All James did Thursday night against Iona was record the first triple-double in the school’s history, scoring 17 points, grabbing 12 rebounds and breaking his own school record with 11 blocked shots in the Huskies’ win over the visiting Gaels. His previous record was seven – ironically enough, he did that in his collegiate debut at Harvard.
But it’s not just his shot-blocking that makes it hard to believe he’s only been playing for two years. James was 8-11 from the field against Iona, and for the season he is shooting 56%. He’s made three of seven three-point attempts, and is shooting 79% from the free-throw line, leads the Huskies in rebounding with 8.4 per game, and for good measure, he’s second on the team in steals with 11.
Opposing coaches have certainly been impressed.
“They’ve got a terrific young player,” Harvard head coach Frank Sullivan said of James after he had 18 points, 8 rebounds and 7 blocked shots against his team in his debut.
“Shawn James – I told Ronny before the game – the kid’s going to be a heck of a player,” Holy Cross head coach Ralph Willard said after James scored a career-high 20 points against the Crusaders earlier in the week. “He had a great night against us. Very mobile and quick on the perimeter and gets to the backboard.”
James just takes it all in stride, much like he did when he was told he had the first triple-double in school history on Thursday night.
“I’m not doing anything special. I’m just playing, not looking to do anything other than just play and do what I normally do,” the soft-spoken freshman says.
James said he was never really interested in basketball growing up, even though he has an older brother who led Division II in rebounding in 2003. But he also didn’t have people push him into it much until he had a growth spurt in high school that was part of a period of growing – though he stands 6’9″ now, he was only 5’7″ when he entered high school. Between his sophomore and junior year, he grew four and a half inches.
“I recently started growing, and that’s when friends started saying, ‘come with me to this tournament, come to this game’, just like that,” James reflects. “When we’d come to the game and play, that’s how I started playing – and just when I started growing fast.”
James played one season for the High School of Redirection, leading them to the alternative league title, then it was off to Notre Dame Prep in Fitchburg, Mass. Coached by Bill Barton, Notre Dame annually plays a very tough schedule against other prep schools loaded with talented fifth-year players, and often in tournaments. James didn’t get many touches on a team that sent several of his teammates on to Division I, but showed potential with his length. James gained a great deal out of that experience, saying it was “the first time I’ve ever been coached for a whole season” and that it really prepared him to face the competition at the college level.
Northeastern was one of several schools that showed interest, and he signed in the spring. Since enrolling, head coach Ron Everhart has seen his development take off.
“I think the biggest surprise for me is that he’s come so far so fast,” he said. “I’ve always thought that he had a chance to be a good player. I think the thing that excites me about Shawn is his passion for the game – he’s gotten so much better, so fast, in practice. It’s really kind of scary how good the kid could be – if he keeps his head on straight, stays focused and keeps working, he’s got a chance to be a real good basketball player.”
Everhart has seen a real eagerness in James, especially at practice. James is excited at practice – even if the drills where players take a charge leave him grimacing at the impact on his thin frame – and Everhart likes that he listens and tries to learn.
“I think Shawn’s one of those guys who listens and tries to do what we ask him to do,” Everhart says. “He’s never talked back in practice. He’s a very coachable guy, and he’s a guy who, for the most part, if you say something he tries to do. We do a lot of things, so there’s some confusion at times because he’s young, but the thing I like about Shawn the most is that he allows our coaching staff to coach and he listens.”
Although much of the game is new to him, James doesn’t look like someone who hasn’t been playing long at times. Here’s a 6’9″ player who makes free throws, doesn’t fall in love with the three-pointer upon hitting one, and makes plays like driving inside and making a soft interior pass to a cutting teammate for a layup. The soft interior pass is not an isolated event, either – one thing he has shown is a deft touch near the basket with the ball, one that post players who have been playing for years don’t always show. Late in the Iona game, he went coast-to-coast for a layup that helped put the game out of reach.
“He’s passionate – the kid loves coming to practice,” Everhart said. “Maybe it’s good that he hasn’t played, because it’s exciting for him – this is not a job at all. Some kids walk into practice, and it’s like, ‘oh man, here we go again, I can’t wait for the game, I don’t want to practice’, but he’s the guy who’s jacked up, pounding on the table saying ‘come on baby, let’s play’. We start scrimmaging in practice, and he’s the biggest cheerleader in the world. He’s like the Little League kid that never loses it – he’s got that about him. It’s a pleasure to coach the kid.”
Everhart knows James still has room for improvement, constantly citing some of his defense on the ball. He has no issue with his effort, and given his learning, feels he will improve in that area and others.
James enjoys his teammates and the staff, and so far has liked his first semester on campus. Asked how he’s liked the area, he gives a reply one might expect of a New Yorker – “It’s not New York, but it’s good”, which provokes a little laughter. While Boston and New York often clash, there’s a match being made with the two that Husky fans probably won’t mind for a little while.
