This senior season for Josiah-Jordan James has not gone to plan.
Tennessee is 16 games into its basketball schedule, and the 6-foot-6, 224-pounder from Charleston, South Carolina, has played in only eight of them. James had offseason knee surgery and was available for the first three games, but he played in only two of the next 10 before returning for all three contests this month.
On Saturday afternoon, James and the No. 5 Volunteers (14-2, 4-0 SEC) will host longtime rival Kentucky (10-6, 1-3).
“I feel great, and I don’t feel like there are any setbacks,” James told reporters Thursday. “We’re definitely trending upwards right now, and I wouldn’t say that my knee is an issue at all. I’m just trying to get my minutes back up and get back into game shape.
“That can take a while sometimes, but my body feels great.”