Bryce James is a member of the 2025 recruiting class. Listed at 6"4, he is #81 on On3's recruit list and does not appear on ESPN's recruit list, which is limited to the top 60 players in the class. The class is headlined by forwards Cameron Boozer and Cooper Flagg. However, despite James not being considered one of the top recruits in the class, he is still getting plenty of attention from scouts.
James, who plays in the AAU, began participation in the Nike EYBL Peach Jam Basketball Tournament on July 3. Alongside the rest of Team Strive For Greatness, James was competing in the U16 category. Furthermore, James scored 12 points in the team's opening win. However, family members and basketball fans weren't the only people in attendance. Several NBA scouts were also in attendance. It's the third year of the tournament's 27-year history that NBA scouts have been allowed to attend. College scouts will arrive on July 6. However, it seems that James was a player of great interest.
Scouts Turn Out For Bryce James
Per Krysten Peek of Yahoo Sports, at least eight teams made James a "priority" on day one of the tournament. Peek reports that the Lakers, Cavs, Mavs, Heat, Knicks, Suns, Hawks, and "other teams" prioritized watching James take down Expectations on Monday. However, to say that James was the most watched player at the event would be unfair. James was just one of many drawing the eye of scouting. This was especially the case as Dylan Harper (#1 2024) and Tre Johnson (#3 2024) were both last-minute no-shows at the event. Harper and Johnson were reportedly still in transit after playing in the U19 World Cup in Hungary.
The aforementioned Flagg, considered the best high school rim defender in the nation, got plenty of looks. Flagg uncharacteristically struggled on offense but had 10 blocks in his team's win over Mac Irvin Fire. Scouts from nearly half the teams in the NBA split time between him and the Boozer twins. While Cameron is the #1 player in the 2025 class, Cayden is ranked at #25. "You could put Cam Boozer on any college roster right now and he would be impactful," one NBA scout told Yahoo Sports. "If he gets to 6-10 with the way he's playing right now, he'll be a problem in the league."
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