USF tracking four-star 2021 wing Michael James

Something else happened too. James, who listed himself at “about 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds,” noticed opponents getting more physical with him.

“Oh, definitely, definitely. This season, I feel like I have a target on my back,” James said. “Every game there is somebody talking to me. I’m gonna get a hard foul. I’m gonna get a check coming across the lane. I’m going to be hearing it all game from the other team. There’s like one person that makes it his job to get in my head.”

James said the game chatter doesn’t faze him.

“That’s what I want when I come to play these dudes,” he said. “I want to be challenged. I want people to come after me like that it makes me play better.”

One of the leaders on an Oak Ridge (Orlando, Fla) High School team that has high expectations every season, James has helped lead the team to a 16-7 record including trips to the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas and the Allstate Sugar Bowl National Prep Classic near New Orleans.

“It was a good experience for me and the team,” said James. “We played a very good team in Sierra Canyon. They had a couple of five-star players I could compare myself to after the game. Then we played a couple more good games after that. I think we went 2-2 in Las Vegas. We went to New Orleans and we played pretty good there, too.”

On the recruiting front James, who broke the 1,000 career point barrier Tuesday night, is regularly hearing from several programs.