Waiting with anticipation to get on the court, Kingswood Oxford’s class of 2019 alumnus and Southern Connecticut State University point guard Sean James is waiting for the chance to show off his skills at the Division II college level.
James attended Hall High school before coming to Kingswood Oxford, starting on the varsity team from the very beginning. “It was a great experience,” James said. “I miss the guys and Coach Brad and am thankful to have been a part of the team.”
James was a point guard from the very beginning of his Kingswood Oxford basketball career. He was a quintessential part of the team, especially during his junior year, helping to lead the Wyverns to a win at the KIT’s. Before going to play at Southern Connecticut State University, James attended St. Andrew’s School in Rhode Island for his post-Graduate year. “I was able to play in a whole different setting,” James said. “It really helped me with getting offers”.
James’ recruiting process had many ups and downs even from the start. He played on the Under Armour circuit the summer before attending St. Andrew’s. During his first few games, James was able to showcase his skill to a wide array of coaches. “I got looks from Holy Cross, Yale, Colgate, and many more,” James said, “but they all fell off during my PG year.” That was until Southern Connecticut State University reached out. “I really didn’t want to play any lower than DII and on top of that, it really seemed like the coaches cared about me,” James said. James soon committed to Southern Connecticut State University, a Division II college located in New Haven.
James describes the transition from high school to college as easier than expected. “I had the privilege of going to two private schools, and I ended up being more than prepared,” James said. “It really helped when classes started to pick up.”
Unfortunately, James’ season was canceled early on in the year, but that did not stop James and his team from finding a way to be able to play together. On one of the first days on campus, James and the rest of the team went to a local park nearby and played pick-up games as a way of meeting everyone. “It was really nice to be able to meet everyone all at once,” James said. “The seniors really took in all the freshmen from the first day.” Currently, however, James’s practices have been anything but normal. Like many others, the team has had to be split up into two separate groups to follow COVID-19 protocol. “I’m still waiting for the day when we can all play together in a real game,” James said.
As for the rest of college and beyond, James is currently majoring in sports management, as he has an interest in possibly becoming an agent. However, he has hopes of being able to play overseas as he has friends who play on the London and Italian teams.
“I hope to be able to play for as long as possible,” James said, “and Europe is most likely the way I’m going to go.” Overall, James can’t wait for the chance to play with his team, and there’s no doubt he will be successful in whichever path he chooses in the coming years.
