Ra’Shad James Comes Home to Play with the Westchester Knicks
It was a thrill to watch Ra’Shad James play basketball during his years at White Plains High School, before he graduated in 2008. The high flying James was a highlight reel all by himself. At any moment he would excite crowds in the White Plains High School gym, by breaking free on fast breaks and leaping in a “Michael Jordan” type manner and slamming tomahawk dunks.
James during his senior year playing for the Tigers was voted the top dunker in Section 1, by the Journal News. In 2007, he and teammate Sean Kilpatrick, who presently plays for the Brooklyn Nets, led White Plains to their last Section 1 AA Finals to date.
After graduation from White Plains High School, James attended St. Thomas Aquinas College, where he was named to the All-East Coast Conference Second Team, before transferring to Iona College.
James entered the NBA Draft in 2013, but was not drafted and became an unrestricted free agent. He played in NBA Summer League and overseas in Korea and Poland. But tried out for the Reno Bighorns, in 2013, the NBA Developmental League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings and made the team.
James played 46 games in over two seasons with the Bighorns, before coming full circle and returning home to White Plains, to play for the Westchester Knicks, at the Westchester County Center.
On February 23, the Westchester Knicks acquired the returning player rights to James and a sixth round pick in the 2016 NBA D-League Draft from the Reno Bighorns in exchange for Gani Lawal. “It feels good to be able to play for the home team and my fans. Having grown up here this is very exciting for me,” said James.
James averaged 22.6 points per game, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists while playing for the Bighorns. He immediately started out with the local Knicks where he left off with Reno, while scoring 14 points against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, in Indiana, on February 25, helping Westchester to a 98-86 win.
James followed his first game performance with the Knicks by scoring 23 points the very next day against the Grand Rapids Drive, in Michigan, as the local Knicks won, 116-115.
James surely felt at home on his return to the Westchester County Center, on Thursday, March 3, as he quickly scored on back-to-back baskets when entering the game. James finished his Westchester Knicks hometown debut with 20 points in 17 minutes of play, as the local Knicks won, 115-112.
“Ra’Shad has been a great addition; he really helped us on the last road trip. He brings something different to our team with his strong physical athletic ability and his versatility,” commented Westchester Knicks Head Coach Mike Miller, who has his team in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 23-17 record.
James reflected back on his days with the White Plains Tigers and was quite aware his alma mater just missed the Section 1 AA Finals this year. “I heard about that, it is good that the success is still carrying over and our Tigers are going strong,” said James.
The former White Plains superstar played under Head Coach Spencer Mayfield and congratulated his mentor on his NYS Basketball Hall of Fame Induction this year. “Coach Mayfield deserves it; as a player you really did not like him as much because he would kick our buts on the court; but that really helped me develop as a player and a person,” acknowledged James.
Presently, Mayfield has two of his former players playing professional basketball in New York, Kilpatrick with the NBA Brooklyn Nets and James with the Westchester Knicks. “It is great. It such a tremendous source of pride, I am so happy for them. They have a strong pursuit of a dream and they are relentless in their pursuit,” proudly stated Mayfield.
