NCAA Basketball: 2019 five-star guard Josiah James to decide on college team

Top South Carolina 2019 prospect Josiah James plans to attend a college in the Southeast. He is currently deciding between two ACC programs and an SEC school.

Consensus five-star recruit Josiah James told 247Sports that he will make his college choice on Sept. 19 at Charleston (S.C.) Porter Gaud High School. James is reportedly deciding between Duke, Clemson and Tennessee.

The 6-foot-6 combo guard is highly thought of. He is ranked No. 14 in the class of 2019 by 247 Composite, Scout and Rivals. ESPN has him ranked as the 20th best player in the class while 247 has him at No. 13 in its rankings.

James is big and long, possessing a 6-foot-9 wingspan, which will potentially allow him to play and guard multiple positions at the next level. He is a strong athlete, although he still has room to add muscle as well as increase his athleticism.

James has the quickness to beat defenders off-the-dribble and finish at the rim or he can pull up for a jumper over smaller defenders. James also sees the floor well and is a good distributor.

Despite having the physical tools to be a top-notch defender, he does not always go hard on that end of the floor. He also needs to improve his fundamentals defensively and be more adept at shooting off the catch.

Here is what ESPN Insiders said about James:

"James is a good athlete with elite perimeter size and a terrific physical profile. He can already impact the game in a multitude of ways but may be just scratching the surface of his potential on both ends of the floor. He played his way into the rankings as a junior and has now put himself in position to be a McDonald’s All-American candidate."

While Duke is one of Jones’ three finalists, it appears that it is really a two-team race for his services. As Clemson and Tennessee seem to have a leg up on Duke in the recruiting process. Michigan State also had been in the mix for his services for a long time.

The reason for this belief is that he canceled his official visit to Duke that was set for Sept. 27. James recently completed official visits to Clemson (this past weekend) and Tennessee the previous weekend.