Mike James easily made the transition from Chain of Lakes Middle School to high school basketball. He was an immediate force as a Wekiva ninth grader and became an honorable mention All-Area pick as a sophomore for the Mustangs.
A year later, after transferring to powerhouse Oak Ridge, he became a first-team All-State player as a junior and a top 100 college prospect.
That didn’t leave much more for James to prove as a senior in the 2020-21 season, but he has yet to show any signs of being satisfied with his standing.
James, the Orlando Sentinel boys basketball Player of the Year, went to work last summer with a new weightlifting program that made him even tougher to handle this season.