NCAA Basketball: Top 10 players to wear jersey No. 30 in 2023-24 season
By Joey Loose
4. Josiah-Jordan James (Tennessee)
Five years in Knoxville are more than enough to appreciate anyone for the Volunteers, especially a player with as much spirit and talent as James. A former Top 20 recruit that chose Rick Barnes and this program, he was a starter and major contributor throughout that half-decade, even in spite of missing games in recent seasons. He certainly continued to shine this past year as a fifth-year senior.
That fifth campaign saw James averaged 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds while making 46% of his interior shots and 83% of his free throws. James was never the type of player to win major conference accolades or consistently score 20 points, but he did a bit of everything for the Volunteers. One of the SEC’s top rebounders this season, he was a big part of Tennessee’s vaunted defense in recent years and that certainly didn’t change this season.
James would score 14 points against Wisconsin and dropped 15 points and 12 rebounds against Syracuse. He exceeded 20 points in games against North Carolina and NC State and later dropped 26 points in a thrilling win at Kentucky in early February. Even more impressive was an 11-point, 13-rebound effort in a road win at Alabama, though James would then help guide the Volunteers to the Elite Eight, including 15 points against Creighton in their Sweet Sixteen win.