"He’s as talented a guy as anybody," Mike James Has Chance to Propel Vanderbilt Basketball Forward

Vanderbilt point guard Frankie Collins was sitting at home due to a “lower-body” injury while Vanderbilt took on Wake Forest in Winston Salem and instantly picked up a phone to retweet a tweet.

“Here’s your chance, Mike James,” the tweet declared.

It was the result of Collins missing Sunday’s game, but James finally had his opportunity. The Vanderbilt guard–by way of NC State and Louisville, where he was a double-figure scorer–had only checked into five games prior to Vanderbilt’s Sunday win over Wake Forest and had only played more than five minutes in one of them. Here he was ripping and running as a member of Vanderbilt’s offense, though.

After an early-season game in which James was ominously on the bench in a sweatsuit from start to finish, Vanderbilt coach Mark Byington guaranteed that this would happen. The Vanderbilt coach said that he would need “everyone” at one point or another, including James.

Perhaps Vanderbilt could’ve been fine in Saturday’s 98-67 win without what Vanderbilt color announcer Tim Thompson described as the “lift” that James’ 13 minutes–in which he scored three points and recorded a rebound as well as an assist–gave the Commodores, but Byington’s inclusion of James sent a message of sorts.

“I said some guys were ready, ready for some different responsibilities,” Byington said on the postgame radio, “They’ve been practicing hard and doing that part, so when their opportunity came, they played well.”

Among Vanderbilt’s other contributors that stepped up were Washington transfer Tyler Harris–who went for 14 points and knocked down a corner 3 that gave him some positive momentum in the midst of a shooting slump–and freshman big man Jayden Leverett–who put an offensive rebound back for a basket that extended Vanderbilt’s lead heading into the half. The most significant performance appeared to be James’, though.

It wasn’t as if James’ outing was the best he’s put together in his college career, but the “good minutes” that Byington says he gave Vanderbilt were an indicator that he’s going to be a factor on this ride down the line. Perhaps James will bow out of the rotation once Collins is back, but here’s his opportunity to ensure that Vanderbilt’s staff knows what he can give it.

Even if James doesn’t do that, his body of work–which includes 64 starts at Louisville–indicates that he can pick up the slack until Collins finds his way back from an injury that Byington said isn’t season ending.

“Mike James is a really talented player,” Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel said. “We’re just such a deep team that it’s hard to play a certain number of guys. He’s as talented a guy as anybody. Obviously he came in and showed his intensity, his shotmaking ability. The way he can shoot the ball, people don’t really know, but he’s got a strap. Him being in the game is just another threat. It’s not really losing anything, it’s just that we have another one now.”

James described himself as an “attacking guard” that likes to guard, “push the tempo,” get to the rim, slash and knock down catch-and-shoot 3s. The defining moment for the Vanderbilt guard came on Sunday as he found himself open in the corner and took a shot that seemingly hung in the air infinitely before slashing through the nylon.

Perhaps the moment could’ve been a turning point for James as he looks to become a factor for a 12-0 Vanderbilt team that has a strong argument to be considered the best team in the SEC as things currently stand. James knew that his decision to come to Vanderbilt could come with a smaller role than the one he experienced at his previous stops, but he was okay with that because of how starved he was of winning prior to his arrival.

Now is when he finds out if he can do enough to fit in.

"Some of the players that are still there like Tyler Nickel, Devin McGlockton and Tyler Tanner share the same goals and got the same mindset," James said when he committed. "I want to be around guys who just want to win, just have the ultimate mentality for winning."