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LOOK: Mike James makes decision on future with Cardinals

On3 imageby:Tyler Mansfield•04/04/22•

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Louisville men’s basketball and new head coach Kenny Payne received more good news on Monday, as former four-star freshman guard/forward Mike James announced his decision to return to the Cardinals’ program for the 2022-2023 season.

“Back and Better Card Nation,” James wrote on his Twitter page, which was accompanied with a graphic that read, “The Comeback.”

James – a highly-touted On3 Consensus four-star prospect coming out of Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, Florida – was expected to play a big role for Louisville as a true freshman before suffering a torn Achilles tendon in practice on Oct. 6, 2021 that resulted in him missing the entire 2021-2022 season.

James, who averaged 19.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game as a senior in high school, joins forward Sydney Curry and guard El Ellis as Cardinals’ players to announce a return for next season under first-year head coach Kenny Payne.

James joins Curry and Ellis back at Louisville under Kenny Payne

It’s been a good couple of weeks for new Louisville head men’s basketball coach Kenny Payne, who has received word from three different Cardinals’ players that they’re returning for the 2022-2023 season.

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While forward Sydney Curry was the first player to publicly announce a return to Louisville and guard El Ellis announced his decision soon after, James has now joined his two teammates in pledging to Payne – helping the new coach build his roster.

Curry, who transferred to Louisville from John A. Logan College at the JUCO level, averaged 7.1 points and 4.4 rebounds per game for the Cardinals in 2021-22. He played in 28 games for Louisville while making 12 starts – with his best outing coming against Wake Forest on Feb. 26 as he put up 28 points with seven rebounds in a loss.

Ellis is coming off his first season at Louisville after transferring from Tallahassee (Florida) Community College. In 2021-22, he ranked third on Louisville’s roster with 8.7 points per game in 32 appearances, including nine starts. At the JUCO level, Ellis averaged 17.7 points and 4.3 assists per game while shooting 41.7% from the field as a sophomore. That shows what he can do, and how Payne could use him as he assesses his new roster.

On3’s Nick Schultz contributed to this report.