'We Are Going To That Tournament' - Jizzle James' Ascendence Fueled by Dad's Motivation, Film Study, and More

Edgerrin James had a powerful message for his son ahead of Tuesday's win.

Cincinnati Bearcats guard Jizzle James (2) hits a layup in the second half of a NCAA men’s basketball game between the Cincinnati Bearcats and Utah Utes, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. Bearcats won 85-75. / Frank Bowen IV/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

CINCINNATI — Jizzle James is heating up at the right time for Cincinnati basketball and his hall-of-fame dad shared some of the motivation he sent his son before Jizzle tied his scoring career-high with 25 points and six assists in Tuesday's 85-75 win over Utah.

“Let’s get it. Stick to my regime and let the work show," James said in response to Edgerrin on text. "Tonight, it’s show time. No more losing. We are going to that tournament.” 

Edgerrin James on IG / Edgerrin James

James has been electric at all three levels of the floor through this three-game winning streak, taking the lead-scoring mantle by force that Cincinnati desperately needed to complement its great defense.

"Just learning that balance," James told me about getting a grasp on controlling games with his scoring gravity. "Just comes from a lot of film, working out, working on my game from day-to-day and it's just paying off in the game. So I'm just trying to stay focused, not trying to get too high in my head because I know we still got a lot more games to go."

More showings like this, and Cincinnati should be right back in an NCAA tournament spot.

"Jizzle [James], and not just because he's sitting beside me, was terrific tonight offensively," Miller noted after the win. "I think he and I both think he'd like a couple of those defensive possessions back. He knows that'll be the film that we look at tomorrow, but he was terrific tonight, and starting to define the rhythm that we know he can play with."

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