“NC State needed him this year”: College hoops fans react as Mike James commits to Vanderbilt

Syndication: The Courier-Journal - Source: Imagn — Mike James in action at Louisville - Source: Imagn

Former NC State guard Mike James has committed to Vanderbilt for the 2025-26 season. On3's Joe Tipton reported on Tuesday that the guard has left the Wolfpack after just one year without featuring for the team.

James suffered a serious knee injury that ended his 2024-25 season, joining a list of NC State’s players who were signed but never featured.

James spent his freshman and sophomore years at Louisville. He played 64 games across those seasons, averaging 10.1 points per game in 2022-23 and 12.6 ppg in 2023-24.

The decision surprised many fans, as there was widespread expectation that he would finally suit up for the Wolfpack following his redshirt season.

Tipton posted the news on Instagram, and fans reacted in the comment section.

“Good pick up. Be great @mikejames0,” a user wrote.

“Wolfpack legend,” a fan said.

“NC State legend Mike James,” another wrote.

College hoops fans react as Mike James commits to Vanderbilt. Credit: IG/@tiptonedits

Some fans were unhappy with this decision, while others insisted he does not return to the Cardinals.

“NC state needed him this year,” a fan wrote.

“Don't come back to the ville,” another fan wrote.

“Long as you don’t go back to Louisville…..we don’t care. 3rd college in 3 years,” someone else wrote.

The Commodores brought in the 6-foot-5 guard to restore size in their backcourt after AJ Hoggard and Chris Manon left the team.

James shot 34.8% from beyond the arc at Louisville. The guard has two years of eligibility left at the collegiate level, having also redshirted in 2021-22 when he tore his Achilles.

Mike James becomes Vanderbilt's fourth commit

NCAA Basketball: Boston College at Louisville - Source: Imagn

The Commodores are rebuilding their roster, having lost a host of players. Jaylen Carey, Alex Hemenway, Karris Bilal, Jordan Williams and JaQualon Roberts have entered the transfer portal.

James became Vanderbilt's fourth signing via the transfer portal after Frankie Collins, Jaylen Washington and Mason Nicholson.

Mark Byington is looking to improve his team’s performance from the 2024-25 season when they reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017.

About the author

Babatunde Kolawole is a college sports journalist at Sportskeeda with over eight years of experience in the field with Canoncrested.com, Garbersports.com, LiveScore Bet Nigeria and Pulse Sports Nigeria.

Kolawole studied Agricultural Economics on the tertiary level but delved into sports writing after school. Over half a decade later, the experience garnered helped him land this role.

Historically, the Alabama Crimson Tide stands out as Kolawole's favorite team as he was drawn to their rich history.

As for basketball, JuJu Watkins is Kolawole's favorite current player due to how much diversity she has in her game, while Kareem Abdul-Jabbar gets the nod for past players because of how he dominated with UCLA.

Kolawole has appeared on several TV and Radio shows as a guest analyst, and in his spare time, likes to watch movies (a sucker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe) and listen to a lot of music. He also loves to travel.

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Edited by Ribin Peter