Louisville transfer Mike James will likely miss the entirety of the N.C. State men’s basketball season. Head coach Kevin Keatts will not officially rule James out for the season, but the opportunity to play continues dwindling.
“We’re getting towards the point where it’s probably not going to happen,” Keatts said last week. “Talking to Mike, I think he wants to play. But as I speak to the doctor and the trainer, he’s not 100% … I haven’t completely ruled it out, but I would say (it’s) really unlikely at this point.”
On Monday, Keatts shared a similar message.
“It would be safe to say that we probably won’t see Mike James,” Keatts said. “He may walk in, and I may tell you later on in the week, ‘Man, he’s ready to go,’ but I wouldn’t anticipate it.”
Keatts said the biggest fear is using James, after he’s been out all season, and the guard tearing an Achilles or sustaining a similarly serious injury.
James joined the Wolfpack in the offseason and was predicted to be one of the team’s primary scorers. Keatts wanted the junior to be a potential replacement for DJ Horne and Casey Morsell, both of whom helped lead the 2023-24 squad to the ACC championship and NCAA Final Four.
The incoming transfer, however, sustained an injury before the season. Keatts told the media on Nov. 13 he expected James to return in “two and a half, three weeks” and provide much-needed scoring. However, he has never suited up for N.C. State.
Doctors cleared James last month to begin drills before getting sick, setting back his recovery further.
Senior Breon Pass said in September the Louisville transfer was the most surprising newcomer to practice against, while Jayden Taylor recalled James and Brandon Huntley-Hatfield trash talking during the 2024 ACC Tournament’s opening game that started the Wolfpack’s championship run. Huntley-Hatfield also transferred to N.C. State.
“The game was almost over. We were gonna win. It was obvious,” Taylor said. “(Mike James) was like, ‘It’s OK. You guys are gonna be going home next week.’ We talk about it to this day.”
In two seasons with the Cardinals, James averaged 11.3 points, shooting 42% from the field, and 4.11 rebounds per game. He added 36 steals and 18 blocks in his 64 appearances for Louisville.
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