WIll this kid be available when we pick. There was an article about him in ESPN the magazine and this kid seems like a real good, grounded kid and a real good point guard(as I read the side article about his strengths and weaknesses I thought he sounded alot like Jameer Nelson, and the magazine also compared him to Jameer).

From the Mag:

Publication:ESP; Date:Feb 26, 2007; Section:Features; Page:88

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IF NICE GUYS FINISH LAST, WHY IS EVERYONE TRYING TO KEEP UP WITH MARQUETTE’S DOMINIC JAMES?

BY TIM KEOWN PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHRIS MUELLER


You’ll just have to hang out here a while to see why it feels wrong to waste time and space discussing the dynamic basketball talents of Marquette sophomore point guard Dominic James. Sports might seem to be the whole point of the enterprise here, but trust us, you’ll come around to our way of thinking soon enough.

Until then, here’s a little basketball story to fulfill the obligation:

Back at Richmond High School, deep in the deepest thicket of Indiana prep hoops—where 80-yearold women carrying score books show up in handknit school sweaters 30 minutes before the junior varsity game, where folks who have held season tickets since the 1960s get the prime spots in the 8,000-seat gym, and where two local radio stations broadcast every game, home and away—Dominic James developed his favorite move.

He saw Jordan use it against the Knicks once, on tape, and fell in love with it. Before long, he’d made it his own. He’d hold the ball on the baseline, feign a move toward the open court, then spin back toward the baseline. Two steps and a flash of his 41-inch vertical later, James would be grabbing the rim and looking for a place to land. Everyone but the defender thought it was pretty cool—no matter
how many times he did it. And Dominic did it a lot.

Nearly every time he broke it out, though, he’d hear it from his coach. It wasn’t that Chad Bolser didn’t love the move too. He just felt it was his coachly duty to impart advice to the best player he’d ever mentored. “I’m going to be honest,” he’d say. “You can do that all you want here, but you’re not going to get away with it at the next level.”

The line became a lesson and, over time, an inside joke between coach and player. The kid would blow past another unsuspecting schoolboy and finish with a slam, and Bolser would wetblanket the thing with a well-timed, “You’re not going to get away with that at the next level.”

Then last season, James’ first at Marquette, Bolser and Richmond assistant Jeff Williams went to the Bradley Center in Milwaukee to catch James and the Golden Eagles taking on Pitt. And wouldn’t you know it, there was James, holding the ball on the baseline, taking a dribble away from the hoop and … you know the rest.

Bolser stared at Williams: “Who’s the idiot now?”


The coach is still shaking his head a year later as he sits in the empty bleachers at Richmond. “Turns out, I was wrong. He can get away with that pretty much anytime he wants to.”

The coach loves this story, almost as much as he loves the one about Dominic (pronounced Dom-a- neek ; nobody knows why) showing up an hour early for a varsity practice when he was a freshman. Knowing the team’s starting point guard had gotten hurt the night before, Dominic rounded the corner as Bolser was opening the gym. When the coach asked, “What are you doing here?” James answered, “Just thought you might need a point guard.” A week later, he was on varsity for good.

From Richmond to Milwaukee, they love to tell stories about James, a 5'11" point guard who is truly everybody’s All-America. He carries a GPA above 3.0 and talent that suggests a near-term date with the first round of the draft.
Earlier this year, Louisville coach Rick Pitino called James “maybe the best point guard in the nation.”

It’s James’ personality, though, that gives the amateur historians their best material. Tellingly, the only on-court quality he lacks is assertiveness. After Marquette lost its first two Big East games this season, coach Tom Crean and the rest of the Golden Eagles called on James to commandeer games. For a guy who purposely tried not to score in lopsided high school games for fear of showing up opponents, this was a tough assignment. It took some direct words from his big brother and best friend, Germayne, for him to get the message. Germayne said, “You being unselfish is kind of like you being selfish.”

Dominic understood, and the era of unselfish selfishness kicked off with eight straight Big East wins—including huge road victories at Connecticut, Louisville and then-No. 6 Pitt—before a loss to Georgetown. Even against Pitt, though, James’ internal tug-of-war was on display. He scored 14 in the first half, then spent most of the second dishing to teammates. When the game got

close late, though, he made it his own, ending the night by hitting two free throws with his team down by one and less than a second left in overtime. “There are times in every game when he can just take over,” Crean says.

Obviously, all the stuff that wasn’t supposed to work at the next level works just fine.

Still, courtside seats give you the worst view in the house. To see the Dominic James favored by the storytellers, you need to step away from the floor. A wider view lends greater focus.
THEY’RE ABOUT to sing the national anthem at the Bradley Center before an early-season game against Oakland University. You know the scene: players lined up across the free throw line, singer at halfcourt, fans standing at Midwestern attention. Pretty standard.

But look closer, down there on the Marquette side, and you’ll see James holding hands with a young woman in a wheelchair. Her parents are a few steps away near the baseline, and that smile they see on their daughter’s face is the widest one they’ve seen in a long time. Who is this 22-year-old woman, and how did she get down there?

This story starts during James’ junior year of high school. He began slapping hands with Natasha Snyder before every game as she sat along the baseline at Richmond High. Natasha,
who graduated from Richmond after Dominic’s freshman year, suffers from a difficult-to-diagnose movement disorder—falling under the umbrella term dystonia—that combines the effects of cerebral palsy and cystic fibrosis.

Dominic and Natasha became friends. Hand slaps became hugs. When Dominic went to Marquette, they continued to stay in touch through Facebook and instant messaging. And when James found out that Natasha was going to Chicago for some tests this past December, he invited the Snyders to Milwaukee for a game.

And that’s all they expected: a game. But James talked to Crean about Natasha, and they decided to take it a step further. So Natasha was on the floor for the anthem and again after the game, when Dominic gave her a game ball signed by the team and a special guest, former Marquette star Dwyane Wade. She got to meet Wade, too.

“It’s been a tough couple of years for Natasha, and to see that smile was really special,” says her father, Jim. “That was not an everyday smile. For Dominic to do that—I can’t even tell you what it meant to us.”

Sitting on the baseline at Richmond on a Saturday night in early January, Natasha says, “I couldn’t believe he did that for me. It made me feel so good.”

Told that his actions invigorated Natasha, James says, “She inspires me with her attitude and
strength. She’s my role model. Whenever I think something is hard, I think about her and realize I have nothing to complain about. Despite her disability, she managed to come to all my games. I wanted to return the favor.”

The gesture received a lot of attention back home in Richmond, but when James says, “I didn’t do it to be recognized,” he sounds almost offended.

And that response is so genuine that it rubs off on those around him. Every time someone from Richmond starts to describe James, it sounds like an apology. Along the lines of “You’re not going to believe this, but … ” or “I know this sounds too good to be true, but … ” Bolser’s version is, “I don’t want to overly romanticize this, but he has a gift for making people feel good. It’s not an act. There
has never been anything premeditated about it.”

A little girl attended Richmond High’s basketball camp the summer before James’ senior year. She wasn’t very good, but her effort caught Dominic’s attention. When camp ended, he gave her his phone number and made her promise to call him in two weeks to let him know how things were going. She didn’t call—she was embarrassed, and besides, who knew if he really meant it?—but one day, she answered her phone at home and heard, “Hi, this is Dominic James. I thought I told you to call me.”

A couple of years earlier, during his sophomore year in high school, he went to the emergency room with his grandfather, who was ill. A girl he didn’t know walked into the waiting room and sat in a corner, bawling. Before long, Dominic was in the chair next to her with his arm around her, telling her everything was going to be all right.

And you want to talk about basketball?
DOMINIC WAS raised by his mother, Angela, and maternal grandparents, with Grandma Tillie serving as the family’s rock and moral authority. Germayne, a former Division III player at Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wis., also helped
out. Dominic says his older brother “sacrificed his high school years” for him.

His charisma and caring have attracted benefactors and well-wishers, much like wool gathers lint. Basketball is a big part of the community fabric in Richmond, and the school belongs to one of the toughest and most storied prep basketball leagues in the country. Down the road in one direction is New Castle, where Steve Alford played. Up the road in another is Muncie Central, the team whose loss to tiny Milan inspired Hoosiers .


But Richmond’s infatuation

with James goes beyond basketball. They don’t want him to fail—can’t bear the thought of it, really—because this young man deserves success. These folks forced the Richmond fire marshal to run people out of the middle school gym when they overfilled it for Dominic’s seventh-grade games. And they made sure that one of the local stations picked up the Marquette broadcasts the moment he hit campus. But these days, their protectionist tendencies are as much for the person as the player. They just don’t want to see him disappointed.

It’s a big world out there, and nobody can be completely sure that small-town James is completely ready for it. As his Marquette teammate Jerel McNeal says, “There are people out there who will mistake his kindness for weakness.”

But Dominic shrugs off all the fretting. “All my life, I’ve just wanted everybody to be happy,” he says. “My goal in life is to see everybody smile.”

Producing smiles is just another move that works at any level. Basketball is important, sure, but it’s temporary.

You see that now, right?

Is Dominic James too nice for the tough-guy NBA?

E-mail us at post@espnmag.com.
http://mag.espn.go.com/ActiveMagazine/getbook.asp?Path=ESP/2007/02/26&bookcollection=ESPN_AM

From NBAdraft.Net-They had him going 29.

NBA Comparison: Terrell Brandon
Strengths: With his insane hangtime, leaping ability, and long arms, he’s able to play bigger than his 5-11 size. He also enjoys tremendous lower-body strength, as is evident with his explosive aerial maneuvers, his agility, and ability to absorb contact. His upper-body strength is very good for a college sophomore, and should only get better. James has long arms for his height. He uses his wingspan effectively to deflect passes and gather steals. He is also a surprisingly good rebounder, which is probably mostly due to his agility, hops, and instincts. His arms also enable him to get shots off over bigger opponents. He possesses terrific quickness, aggressiveness, footwork, and anticipation. James shows good patience, and usually does not commit silly fouls. Defensively James could become a very effective full-court presser in the NBA. He also persistently shows a very good effort when fighting through screens or chasing his man around. He also is fairly good at stealing, and is very good at leaking out after a turnover. Offensively, His first step is amazing, which enables him to blow by any defender at the college level. Even in the NBA, he will likely be quicker off the bounce than most point guards. His agility and strength lets him finish very well, especially for a player his size, near the hoop, either on an aggressive drive or backing his man down after a rebound. He also excels at pulling up for midrange j's, which he hits at a high clip. James' off the ball movement is hard to estimate, since MU's offense has virtually none. His half-court passing ability is hard to figure out, because all Marquette's offense is drive and kicks/dishes, although he usually does this well. James is a tremendous athlete. Period. He excels at all facets of athletic ability, including speed, agility, leaping ability, hangtime(!), and explosion. He’s simply one of the best athletes in college basketball ... James exerts a good effort on both the offensive and defensive ends of the floor. He is so naturally gifted on the fast break that he seems to glide effortlessly. He works hard to gain position, especially off of inbounds near the hoop, as he often out-hustles and outsmarts his defender, which enables him to get a quick bucket off the inbounds.

Weaknesses: At 5'11" roughly three-four inches shorter than the average NBA point. His lack of size will make him be a half-court defensive liability, as bigger point guards will easily post him up or shoot over him. James long arms and jumping ability do somewhat mask this weakness in college, but he will have a much harder time hiding it at the pro level ... As with most of MU's prospects under Tom Crean, their offensive ability can be somewhat hard to gauge, since the half-court "offense" consists of four stationary players on the perimeter moving the ball around and looking for an opportunity to drive. With that said, his outside shooting ability is very, very streaky. Unfortunately, it usually happens to be off, although he is a better stationary shooter then off the dribble or off the catch. James often forces his shots, although this may be due to Marquette's nonexistent off-the-ball movement. His free-throw shooting is awful, especially for a 1. He runs the floor extremely well on the fastbreak, usually making good decisions, however, his half-court offense needs much work, as he often rushes shots and sometimes is overaggressive driving. In the NBA, his height will not allow him to see over taller defenders, and the strength and agility of the typical pro guards will disallow him from making the plays that he often makes in college. Despite this, James figures to be an average to slightly above average NBA offensive player, especially if his range and consistency improves. James athletic ability is very useful, but occasionally he gets out of control and turns the ball over …While Dominic James occasionally plays the two at Marquette, he lacks the size and shooting ability to do so in the NBA. He will be forever confined to the point … James seems to have poor intangibles. He has a history of poor off-the-court behavior, getting in fights that are never publicized due to Tom Crean's intervention. His head grew exponentially with all the accolades he received last year, and his play has not improved a great deal. He carries himself with confidence that often borders on detrimental ****iness, often appearing stubborn. To his credit though, he shows a great deal of emotion and has at least an average basketball IQ.

Notes: Was considered a top forty player by most high school publications, and was runner-up top Greg Oden for player of the year in Indiana. James started at point guard at MU the minute he set foot on campus, taking over for Travis Diener and performing exceptionally well. He was considered one of the top freshmen in the country, winning Big East Freshmen of the year. He entered this season, which almost certainly will be his last, as one of the most heralded guards in the country. He however has somewhat disappointed. He remains an unpolished half-court player that should add some muscle to his upper body.
Alexander Kaftan & Jon Stepp - 1/16/2007
Strengths: Gutsy floor general capable of high flying dunks (a cut above athletically)… A blur. His amazing quickness and deadly crossover allow him to get by defenders at will … Loves to penetrate into the key (drive and dish) and is not afraid to go all the way to the basket … A fireplug, his great strength and quickness is too much for most college level guards to contain … Mentally tough. Competes hard, and showed great maturity in just his first college season … Excellent PG skills, ball handling and passing and shows a good feel for the position … Showed very good decision making with a 1.92 A/TO ratio as a freshman. He should improve upon that figure with a year of experience under his belt … A real ball hawk, averaged 1.6 steals per game as a freshman … An excellent rebounder (due to his toughness and leaping ability), especially considering his size …

Weaknesses: He’s on the short side at just 5-11, but his tremendous athletic ability and pit bull aggressiveness help to compensate for it … His ability to get by defenders allows him to get a lot of shots in close to the basket, but he needs to polish his mid range jump shot as well as shooting from behind the arc … Needs to become a better outside shooter (shot just 30% from 3 last season). Also needs to improve from the free throw line (64%) … Needs to become more comfortable in slow down (half court set type) games. Shot just 2/15 versus G’Town in the 2005-06 Big East tournament …

Notes: One of the most productive freshman in the country. Earned Big East Freshman of the year honors averaging 15.3 ppg and 5.4 apg helping lead Marquette to a 7 seed in the 2006 NCAA Tournament ... Will be asked to take on a larger role offensively with the departure of Steve Novak, and should step up to the challenge and become one of the elite point guards in the nation.http://nbadraft.net/admincp/profiles/dominicjames.html

Even though he is only 5-11-and I self admittedly haven't seen this kid play-he seems like a the type of guy/player I would want running this team. Anyone with more CB knowledge than me know anything about this kid? Is Jameer Nelson a good comparison, because if it is, I think this kid is perfect for us.

need someone taller who can shoot