Louisville men’s basketball redshirt freshman Mike James has been named ACC Rookie of the Week, the league announced Monday.
This is the first weekly award of James’ young career, and he’s the first Cardinal to earn Rookie of the Week honors from the league since his current teammate Jae’Lyn Withers did so in March 2021.
James, a 6-foot-5 guard/forward from Orlando, Fla., had a breakout stretch for UofL last week, averaging 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game across the Cardinals’ home contests against Syracuse and Wake Forest.
James made 16 of 28 total shots in the two games (57%) and 9 of 16 3-pointers (60%).
He set a then-career high for scoring in a narrow 70-69 loss to Syracuse with 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting, including a 4-for-6 clip from long range.
He followed that up with another banner day Saturday in an 80-72 loss to Wake Forest with a career-high 24 points and eight rebounds.
James’ 24 points are tied for the second-most by an ACC freshman this season, and they were the most by a Louisville freshman since 2017. He’s only the fifth Louisville freshman since 1952 to have a game with at least 24 points and eight boards.
James was crucial in Louisville’s second-half comeback effort against Wake Forest, as the Cardinals trimmed an 18-point deficit with seven-plus minutes left to three with less than three minutes remaining. The freshman had 11 points and three 3s during that four-minute burst, including a final long-range shot that made it a one-possession game with 2:40 to go.
James and Louisville return to action at Clemson at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday.
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