Coming off a 15-14 season, men’s basketball has already started recruiting and has found an unorthodox way to bolster its front court with a promising 41-year-old recruit.
Despite the age concerns, UCCS staff is confident that incoming freshman LeBron James will help the Mountain Lions get back to the RMAC Championship.
James is from Akron, Ohio. After graduating in 2002, he chose to pursue a business venture in Cleveland rather than attending college. This is great news for the Mountain Lions, as this means that James will have all his years of athletic eligibility available once officially enrolled.
Although he is 41 years old, James has continued to practice basketball by playing in the NBA for 23 seasons, although some people still question whether that little experience will be able to translate into the cutthroat world of Division II basketball.
“I just don’t think he’s cut out for this. The game is too fast paced for him to keep up, and I don’t think his fundamentals are great,” said a student wearing a Michael Jordan jersey.
Although we are still a year out from next season, James is looking forward to creating a connection with his teammates. “There’s a lot I have to learn about the game still, but I hope the veterans on the team like Xavier Martinez and Marzouq Abdur-Razaaq take me under their wing,” he said.
Being a true freshman, it’s unclear whether James will be in the starting lineup, as that is usually too much pressure for young players. “We’re not thinking about lineups right now, we are just focused on his development. He will probably get some time, but we understand that as a freshman, he might be prone to rookie mistakes,” said head coach Jeff Culver.
Scribble Editor’s Note: LeBron James decided to decommit from UCCS shortly after this article was written because the team refused to recruit his son, Bronny James.
James in this year’s team photo. Graphic by Josiah Dolan.