The Blue Devils continue to get older, stronger and deeper.
Sion James, a 6-foot-6 guard from Tulane, is transferring to Duke, he announced via Instagram. James is the third player head coach Jon Scheyer has nabbed from the portal this cycle, along with forwards Maliq Brown and Mason Gillis.
"We’re thrilled to welcome Sion James to The Brotherhood," Scheyer said. "He’s a proven leader with a high IQ and great feel for the game. Bringing Sion to Duke is not just about adding talent, it's about adding to a culture of competitiveness and winning attitude that he has."
James is an elite scorer who can produce from all three levels of the court. With a quick first step and a smooth jump shot, he is a threat who can really space the floor. While a lot of his shooting has been off the catch, James is a capable ball handler and effective in the pick-and-roll.
The Sugar Hill, Ga., native steadily increased his output in his four years with the Green Wave, scoring 14 points per game last season. His shooting splits also have improved, as he shot above 50% from the field and 38.1% from deep.
While James will need to adjust to the higher level of competition, he has the natural scoring ability that will ignite the Blue Devils next year. He also was second on his team in rebounding with 5.4 boards as well.
In addition to his basketball skill, James is very well respected within the Tulane community and American Athletic Conference. He was the first player to win the league’s Sportsmanship Award two years in a row, and he chairs the AAC’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
James is a grad transfer who will have one year of eligibility remaining.
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Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity junior and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.