2024-25 IU basketball player profile: Dallas James

  • Oct 10, 2024 7:14 am
 

With the start of college basketball season approaching, we’ve moved from our look at other Big Ten programs to our player-by-player previews of the 2024-25 Indiana roster.

Today, our player profiles continue with fifth-year senior Dallas James.

Previously: Bryson Tucker, Jakai Newton, Myles Rice, Mackenzie Mgbako, Gabe Cupps, Kanaan Carlyle, Malik Reneau, Oumar Ballo

An unexpected addition from the transfer portal, South Carolina State transfer Dallas James arrives at Indiana with one season of eligibility remaining.

James made headlines when he joined the Indiana roster as the 13th scholarship player in late July. He will wear jersey No. 42 for the Hoosiers.

The son of Jerome James, who played 11 seasons in the NBA with the Sacramento, Seattle and New York, the 7-foot James played his first four college seasons in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

A native of Artesia, California, James played high school basketball at Inglewood High School and was a member of the 2020 recruiting class. His recruiting profile on 247Sports shows he was an unranked prospect out of high school.

As a freshman for the Bulldogs, James played in 13 games and made two starts. He averaged 1.7 points and a rebound in 6.2 minutes per game. The 245-pound center shot 63.6 percent from the field, and his high mark was a nine-point, five-rebound effort against Florida A&M.

In his sophomore campaign – the 2021-22 season – James appeared in just eight games at South Carolina State. He came off the bench in each appearance, averaging 0.8 points and 1.9 rebounds in just under 4.8 minutes per game.

James saw his role increase as a junior. He averaged 2.2 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.9 blocks in 9.5 minutes per game while shooting 58.3 percent from the field. One of his more notable performances that season was a four-point, seven-rebound effort in a loss at Texas Tech. He also had a career-high 13 points, with six rebounds and three blocks against St. Andrews Presbyterian in his junior season. He played in 23 games as a junior and made 19 starts.

In his final season at South Carolina State, James played in 26 games and made 14 starts. He averaged 0.8 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.7 blocked shots in 7.3 minutes per game. He shot 52.6 percent from the field.

At Indiana, James is expected to provide depth and experience to an incredibly talented Indiana front line. The Hoosiers have Oumar Ballo and Malik Reneau as expected starters at the four and five with Langdon Hatton as the backup five behind Ballo. It would be a surprise if James carves out a rotation role.

Bottom line: Indiana entered the summer months with a scholarship open and opted to use it on James to bolster its frontcourt depth. He’s not expected to play a major role in terms of minutes, but gives the staff another big body to utilize in practice. He’s also an excellent student. James graduated with a 4.0 grade point average at South Carolina State as an engineering technology major.

Quotable: “Dallas is an incredibly intelligent young man that will provide us with some depth across our front line. He is a tall kid with long arms that can contest and alter shots at the rim. He comes from an NBA background with his father spending a decade in the league and we are excited to bring the James family to Bloomington.” – Mike Woodson in a release announcing the signing of James.

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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