Tennessee senior forward Josiah-Jordan James hadn’t played five-on-five basketball in months when he ran up-and-down with his teammates in Pratt Pavilion last Thursday.
The session — which wasn’t even Tennessee’s full practice — was a step in the right direction for James to get back to full speed for the his final collegiate season.
As Rick Barnes said was “likely” to happen, James played in Tennessee’s season opener against Tennessee Tech, coming off the bench to total eight points and four rebounds in the, 75-43, win.
Barnes said James was on a minute restriction and the preseason All-SEC selection played 18 minutes as he continues to get in better shape.
Here’s everything Josiah-Jordan James said about his recovery from his offseason knee injury.
On how he felt returning to the floor
“I felt really good. It was a lot of fun being back out there playing against people who arent my teammates, just being out there in a competitive environment. I want to give a shoutout to Vol Nation. They showed up and showed out. They were loud for 40 minutes once again, and they gave us a big boost like they always do. I was really just anxious to get back out there with my teammates. My teammates kept me level headed. They kept me confident through the time when I wasn’t practicing. Being out there today was a lot of fun.”
On if Thursday was his first time playing five-on-five since the surgery
“That was the first time in a couple of weeks where I had practiced. I had some practices throughout the summer where I came back, but I wouldn’t go fully. (Thursday) was the first time in a couple of weeks where I get in on 5-on-5.”
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On if he felt like he was in good physical shape playing
“Felt great. My knee is not the problem, it’s just me getting my wind back. Trying to get back in game shape is tough because we’re playing really fast, and we’re always going to guard people. On the offensive end, we’re playing so much faster than we have in past years, which I’m cool with, but I have to take it day-by-day getting back in shape.”
On the offseason procedure
“I just had a scope after the season ended. We were very cautious. Chad and G both said we were going to be overly cautious with it, and the last three weeks I’ve gotten a PRP and a Senvisc injection — one every Monday for three weeks. I’m done with that. I had a scope procedure done and three sets of injections.”
On how long it’ll take him to get back in shape
“I think it is tough for me to put a number on it. I’ve had three practices before today, and so I wasn’t in great shape. I got tired, and I was kind of on a minute restriction with (trainer) Chad (Newman) and (strength and conditioning coach) G(arrett Mendenwald). I’ll definitely be in better shape by the time we go to Nashville and play Colorado, but I can’t say I’ll be in great shape by then. It may take me a couple of games. I hope as soon as possible, but it is tough for me to put a timestamp on it, to be honest.”
