Joel James

Position:
Forward
Height:
6-10
Weight:
260
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
West Palm Beach, Fla.
High School:
Dwyer

CAREER

Has 215 points, 225 rebounds and 23 blocks in 98 career games • Career highs include 11 points vs. Florida Atlantic (11/11/12), nine rebounds at Long Beach State (11/16/12) and two blocked shots several times • Made 45.4 percent of his shots from the floor and 67.3 percent from the free throw line.

JUNIOR SEASON (2014-15)

Co-recipient of UNC’s most improved player award • Scored six or more points 10 times, something he did once as a sophomore • UNC went 8-2 when he scored six or more • Made 19 field goals in ACC regular-season play this year (14 in five games at Clemson, at Louisville, at Duke, at Miami and at Georgia Tech and five in the other 13 games) • Averaged 13.5 minutes in the ACC Tournament • 12.8 minutes per game over the last 13 contests • Was 4 for 5 from the floor in the NCAA Tournament.

Game Highlights: Started his second straight game (19th career) in the ACC Tournament vs. Louisville – did not score but had six rebounds, which tied his season high (also against Robert Morris in the second game of the season) • Made his second start of the season in the ACC Tournament vs. Boston College and had six points on 3 for 7 shooting • Very solid performance in the win at Miami playing in front of a number of family and friends • Scored six points and had three rebounds and an assist vs. the Canes • Had six points and five rebounds (three on the offensive glass) and played solid post defense in 12 productive minutes at Duke • Scored six points and grabbed four rebounds in 10 first-half minutes at Louisville, helping the Tar Heels lead the Cards by 11 at the break • Was his best performance since the ACC opener at Clemson • Made 3 of 6 shots from the floor and totaled six points at Clemson • Scored 19 points in consecutive games against UNCG and Ohio State, the most he scored in any two games in his career • Made 7 of 11 shots from the floor in those two games • Had eight points against Ohio State in the 82-74 win • Tied his career scoring high with 11 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the floor at UNCG • Was one of two Tar Heels to score in double figures in that road victory • Was his first double-digit scoring game since his first game as a freshman when he had 11 against Florida Atlantic • Was 3 for 4 from the floor and scored seven points against East Carolina • Made his first start of the season and played 15 minutes against UCLA • Scored seven points, all in the second half, in the opener against NC Central • That was his highest scoring output since midway through his freshman year • Hit a pair of turnaround, baseline jumpers against the Eagles • Pulled down six rebounds against Robert Morris.

SOPHOMORE SEASON (2013-14)

Averaged 2.7 rebounds per game • Made 19 of 49 shots from the floor (.388) and 14 of 18 from the free throw line (.778) this year • Scored two field goals and had two offensive boards in home win over Notre Dame • Had two field goals in the previous 16 games • Grabbed two offensive rebounds at NC State • Grabbed four rebounds in 11 minutes at Georgia Tech • Returned to action in the Miami game, scoring four points and grabbing five rebounds in eight minutes • Was ejected early in the second half after catching a Miami player with an elbow on an attempted rebound • Did not play in four games due a sprained right medial collateral ligament (knee) less than a minute into the Texas game • Grabbed four offensive boards vs. UNCG • Carolina's defensive player of the game in the win at #1 Michigan State • Had five points and six rebounds against Louisville • Basket and three-point play early in the second half was a key play after Louisville jumped out to a four-point lead • Grabbed eight rebounds in 14 minutes against Oakland • Has made 16 career starts • Career bests are 11 points against Florida Atlantic on 11/11/12 and nine rebounds at Long Beach on 11/16/12.

FRESHMAN SEASON (2012-13)

Played in 30 games and made three starts • Averaged 2.3 points and 2.4 rebounds • Made 30 of 58 shots from the floor (.517) • Grabbed five or more rebounds in six games • Scored 24 points in ACC regular-season play • Didn't dress out for three games due to a concussion he suffered against Wake Forest on Feb. 5th • Scored six points and had four rebounds and two steals in college debut against Gardner-Webb • Season high 11 points and eight boards against Florida Atlantic • Grabbed a season high nine rebounds in road win at Long Beach • Made his first of three starts against UAB on Dec. 1st • Scored four points in win over Maryland, making two field goals for the first time since Dec. 8th • Had four points and blocked two shots in home win over Georgia Tech • Scored eight points at NC State, his highest scoring output since he had 11 in the second game of the season • Pulled down an ACC-high five rebounds against Wake Forest.

PREP

Did not play organized basketball until his sophomore year of high school • Shed 60 pounds during his senior year as he improved on the court • Tried out for the U.S. U-18 National Team after high school • Played for coach Fred Ross at William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. • Averaged 15 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game and shot 63 percent from the floor as a senior • Played in the All-American Championship post-season all-star game in New Orleans • Attended the U.S. U-18 national team training camp in Colorado Springs in June 2012 • Won a state championship as a junior • Did not play organized basketball until his sophomore year.

PERSONAL
Joel Njonjo James is the son of Cassandra Brown • Born on Jan. 22, 1994, in West Palm Beach, Fla. • Majoring in history.