Elmore James has seen a decent amount of time on the court as a freshman for Ohio. The guard from Cleveland, Ohio, has tallied 10 points and two rebounds in 23 minutes so far this season.
The Post chatted with James about both real and virtual basketball, his name and his family ties to OU.
TP: I was looking at your Twitter because I was trying to learn a little bit about you and I saw that you are Elmore James IV, correct?
James: (smiles) I am the fourth, yes.
TP: Is that a family thing?
James: Oh yes, it is a family thing. I am trying to keep that going too, of course. My dad told me about it, wanting to keep it (going) in the family. I feel like it’s pretty cool, though, because every time I tell somebody about it, they think it's one of the coolest things that they know about me.
TP: So is it your dad, your grandpa (and) your great-grandpa?
James: Mhm, yeah.
TP: So if you have a boy, it would be Elmore James V?
James: Yeah, I definitely plan on keeping that going in the family.
TP: Cool! So what are some of your hobbies?
James: I like to play (NBA) 2K, I like to work out a lot and in my spare time, I like to watch basketball a lot, too.
TP: So with 2K, who’s on your team?
James: I like using the (Los Angeles) Lakers and I also like using the (Milwaukee) Bucks.
TP: Are you a Lakers and Bucks fan in real life?
James: Well, I’ve always been a Lakers fan, but the Bucks are one of the more fun teams to use in 2K, so I always use them.
TP: Sure. Do you ever carry any of your 2K strategies into real-life play?
James: Sometimes in transition, I try to. I try to mimic it a lot, trying to get downhill and stuff, but other than that not really.
TP: Would you ever like to be on the cover of 2K someday?
James: Yeah, I would love to (smiles). That would be a big dream come true.
OU Guard Elmore James (No. 1) and OU Center Gabe Wiznitzer (No. 11) getting ready to box out a Cleveland State player on Nov. 12, 2022, at The Convo in Athens, Ohio.
TP: You said you like to work out, are you an arms or legs person?
James: I like to do on-court workouts, not lifting workouts. I like to do more so on-court stuff.
TP: OH, so what would one of those workouts be like?
James: I definitely get a lot of shooting reps in, a lot of ball handling, and some finishing in as well.
TP: Cool, so what’s your favorite thing about basketball?
James: My favorite thing about basketball is probably just building new bonds with people, getting to know people more and building more relationships.
TP: You’re a freshman, so you’ve built a lot of new relationships this year. Who would you say your go-to pal on the team is? Like, you’re going to (The District) or Nelson (Dining Hall), who do you hit up?
James: That’s probably a tough question because we all have a little group where we all hang out a lot. I’ve known a lot of these guys before I even came here. We all came here kind of close to each other, so it's nice. If I had to prefer any of them, I would prefer all of them because I love hanging out with all of them. Period.
TP: I love that. You said you knew people before you got here, was that from Amateur Athletic Union or high school play?
James: So when we were younger, we used to play at the same showcases and stuff. I actually played against my roommate in an AAU tournament last year before we all got down here, so I actually knew him, too. It was kinda cool to have him as my roommate.
TP: Who’s your roommate?
James: Ajay Sheldon.
TP: Ah OK, do you guys ever play 2K together?
James: Yeah we play together sometimes.
TP: Does it ever get heated?
James: Sometimes, between me and my friend Aidan, it gets heated.
TP: (laughs) Does he ever try to take people that you want on your team?
James: Sometimes yeah, but he never beats me. He tries to take the teams I love to use, but he still doesn’t beat me.
TP: Have you guys ever had a 2K tournament?
James: We do have 2K tournaments a lot. Now that the season has been going, we haven’t played it as much, but in the summer we’d have 2K tournaments all the time
TP: Have you ever won one of them?
James: I usually win them. I may have lost twice or three times, but usually I’m the winner.
TP: So what has been your favorite part about being a collegiate basketball player so far?
James: This has always been a dream of mine to be a collegiate basketball player, so the fact that I’m finally here is really a blessing and just a dream come true. Especially being surrounded by the amazing staff we have here and my amazing teammates that I’ve been able to get even closer with the more time I’ve spent here. Also, the fact that my sister (Imani) attended Ohio University and she graduated from here in 2017. That makes it cooler also.
TP: Yeah! So is anyone else in your family a Bobcat alumni?
James: Actually, my aunt and her are, so I have a lot of that already in my family. It’s cool to add to that.
