December 19, 2001
Mike James, who was signed by the Miami Heat in July but released prior to the start of the regular season, was re-signed to a full-year contract by the NBA team on Tuesday.
Following his release by the Heat, the 6-2, 190 point guard signed with the Rockford Lightning of the Continental Basketball Association. In his 14-game stint with the CBA team, he ranked second in the league in scoring (23.3 points), sixth in three-point field-goal percentage (41.8, 38 for 91) and seventh in assists (6.3).
The Duquesne alum was named CBA American Conference Player of the Week each of the past two weeks and became the first CBA player this season to record a triple-double (33 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) on December 13th against Grand Rapids. He also had seven steals in that game.
"Mike is a bona fide NBA guard," said Lightning head coach Stacey King. "This is an honor not only for him, but for the organization to have Mike be the first official CBA call-up of the year. It goes to show that it doesn't matter where you play. If you're a good player, the NBA will find you. He is a tremendous player and we wish him the best."
"He's not only a fantastic basketball player, but a class individual," said Lightning director of business operations Michael Tuite. "He has a great work ethic, and it proves how hard work and persistence pay off. His last act for the team wasn't on the court, but reading to kids at an after-school program. It says what kind of guy he is. We'll miss him, but we are proud of him both as a basketball player and as a person."
James is now 11th on Duquesne's all-time scoring list. (Wayne Smith moved into ninth place following the North Carolina-Wilmington game. His 17 points brought the Canadian to 1469, enough to pass Rick Suder's 1459).
James is the first former Duke since Derrick Alston to play in the NBA. Since he graduated from DU, James had been playing basketball in Europe. He began his professional career with St. Polten in Austria during the 1998-99 campaign.
James, a 6'2", 190-pound point guard, spent the last two seasons in France. He spent the 2000-01 season with Sluc Nancy of the French Pro A League where he averaged 15.0 points, 5.1 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.97 steals and 34.3 minutes. He finished the season ranked 11th in the league in steals, 12th in assists, 22nd in minutes and 30th in points per game. In postseason play he appeared in three games and averaged 17.3 points, 7.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds, 1.00 steals and 34.7 minutes. His 7.3 postseason assist average was tops in the league.
James appeared in 28 games for Chalons of the French League during the 1999-2000 season and averaged 17.1 points, 4.8 assists and 2.9 rebounds.
During his career with the Dukes, James averaged 12.7 points, 3.1 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 28.1 minutes in 111 games (84 starts). He finished his career ranked third in steals (201), fifth in assists (348) and 10th in points (1,411) on the Dukes' all-time list.
The Miami Herald reports that the 5-18 Heat, who lost to the Utah Jazz 95-56 last night, were "(d)esperate for a point guard with offensive skills. ....The Heat opted to add James rather than make a trade or sign free agent point guards Robert Pack, Matt Maloney or Sherman Douglas."
To make room for James, the Heat placed center Sean Marks (cervical strain) on the injured list.
