Josiah-Jordan James returns for No. 11 Tennessee in season-opener vs. Tennessee Tech
Josiah-Jordan James is officially back for Tennessee basketball, with the senior wing in the star in the starting lineup for the 11th-ranked Vols in their season-opener against Tennessee Tech Monday at Thompson-Boling Arena.
James said last week during an appearance of Vol Club Confidential that he couldn’t wait to get back on the floor after undergoing an offseason knee procedure. He was sidelined during the preseason, limited to workouts on the side during practice, before returning to the practice court with his teammates Thursday at Pratt Pavilion.
“Ever since I got my surgery right after the season ended, really,” James said of his eagerness to return. “I couldn’t wait to come back. I went through practices a little bit throughout the summer. Got another procedure done and I’m ready to get back.”
James estimated late last week that he had been healthy “for about a week now.”
“I didn’t play in the two scrimmage and exhibition games that we had against Michigan State and Gonzaga,” he said, “just because they wanted to be as cautionary as possible. But I’m ready to go and I know the rest of the guys are, too.”
Tennessee and Tennessee Tech are scheduled for a 7 p.m Eastern Time start on Monday. The game is not televised, but is available as an online live-stream on SEC Network+ or ESPN+.
SEC Network+ is not a TV channel, but is a complementary online addition providing content and programming online. Fans can access content on SEC Network+ through the ESPN app or ESPN.com/watch. Viewers must have a cable or satellite subscription and log-in info to gain access to the SEC Network+ stream.
Fans can also watch on ESPN+, the streaming platform from ESPN that requires a paid subscription. ESPN+ is separate from cable or satellite subscriptions. More info can be found here.
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Tennessee beat Gonzaga 99-80 in a neutral-site exhibition game on October 28. The Vols hosted Michigan State in a closed scrimmage on October 23.
After hosting Tennessee Tech, Tennessee plays Colorado at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Sunday, a 2 p.m. Eastern Time start on ESPN.
“I think we’re in a great place,” senior forward Olivier Nkamhoua said Thursday. “And when Josiah comes back, he’s going to ready to go with us.
After a slow start to his junior year, James scored in double-figures in 13 of the final 16 games last season. He led Tennessee in rebounding, at 6.0 per game, was third in scoring, at 10.3, and had 55 assists, 46 steals and 34 blocks. He played in 32 of 34 games, making 30 starts, while averaging 29.1 minutes per game, third most on the team.
James started 17 times in 25 games during his sophomore season, averaging 8.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game, missing time with a finger injury. As a freshman in 2019-20, he started 26 times in 27 games, averaging 7.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game, missing time with a hip issue.
