By Keighla Schmidt
UWRF Sports Information

He's back, and ready to play.

After red-shirting last season, Mark James has returned for his senior season with the Falcons.

Working on his own last season James said he had, "a pretty good developmental year," and said he thinks he is ready to get back into the game.

An adjustment he'll have to make for his final season is getting back into the game-playing mindset. He said playing in open gym doesn't compare to the mental and physical preparation of an intercollegiate game.

Falcon Coach Rick Bowen is excited to have him playing again.

He said knowing that James would graduate in 2006 they decided it would best to "bite the bullet and red-shirt [James]," last season.

Bowen said the team is excited to have James' "rebounding and pressure that we didn't have last year."

Bowen said James will also bring a veteran's experience to the young team. As one of two seniors on the team, James said he is confident in leading the team. He said he thinks the team realizes that he wants what's best for the team, and when he does something, they see that in him.

Coming back, he also brings "a focus to basketball," Bowen said, "an added dimension we've been sorely lacking."

James has been focused on basketball for many years.

He came to the UW-RF from his hometown of Scottsdale, Ariz. James followed on the heels of former Scottsdale Community College teammate Micah Helfrey.

James said the year he was recruited, it was a big season for the Falcons, there was buzz talking about winning a conference championship, and he wanted to join a team where he could win a ring.

And the 2004 Falcons did just that.

His first season here, he overcame what he described as his biggest obstacle yet in basketball.

Coming from Arizona with a much different climate, James struggled to adjust to the cold weather and snow. He said it was too easy for him to stay inside and avoid going to classes to keep warm.

"The climate was a big issue the first year," Bowen said. Not going to classes led him to academic ineligibility for the first time in his life. He said that was the toughest concept for him to deal with.

As a psychology major, James understood he would have to condition himself to adjust to the cold. So he wears as little clothes as possible when it starts to cool down, to get his body used to being chilled. By the time it gets to be really cold and there's snow on the ground, he doesn't have to suddenly adjust, and he said that makes it easier.

To avoid academic ineligibility he made more adjustments.

James knew a big part of basketball was conditioning and commitment, so he applied that to his school work as well.

He said he made a system where he makes himself spend two hours a day for four days a week in the library studying. Even if he doesn't have a test or assignment, he will look over his notes and familiarize himself with the material as much as possible.

"I'd rather skip a one and a half hour nap than sit down at a test and not have a clue as to what's going on," James said.

Bowen recognizes the hard work James has put it. "I have watched him mature since he stepped on campus; it's amazing to see that - I'm very proud of him," Bowen said.

That maturity and commitment he has made will help him with his future aspirations.   Next on James' to-do list is to get into a law school and become a lawyer. He said he is looking into Emory Law School in Georgia or Arizona State. He said he thinks his undergraduate degree in psychology will help him with law because he will understand the human mind and that would help.

Basketball has also given him knowledge he can apply later in his life. James said the social aspect of athletics is the biggest bonus because he has developed communication skills with people that he otherwise would not have. His competitive nature has also been enhanced through basketball and he thinks it will make him a better employee.

Being cold and ineligible are not the only memories James will have when he leaves UW-RF. One of his best memories is winning the conference championship and getting the ring.

He said his grade-school friend, Channing Frye, who played basketball for the University of Arizona and is now a New York Knick in the NBA, and he jokes around with him saying he's got an advantage because he has a conference championship ring, and Frye doesn't.

Another great memory is playing at UW-Madison in front of over 10,000 people in November. Despite losing by 25 points, James said it never felt like they were getting blown out. "It was an awesome experience, unbelievable," he said.

The Falcons flew out to Hawaii to play in the Concordia-Irvine Classic in Maui. James said he was excited about the trip for many reasons. He said just going to Hawaii was exciting, and playing basketball there was fun, and his family was there as well.

 His family went to a game in Tacoma, Wash., during the 2003-04 season, but haven't seen James play in other Falcon games. He said they were at every game in Scottsdale, so it is difficult to not have them at the games.   He does talk to his Mom everyday, and she will send him a text message before games telling him "good luck, stay focused and I love you," James said. After the game he'll call her and tell her how it went.

Leaving his family and familiar area was hard to do, James said. But he said he thinks it has made him stronger. James being here has made the team stronger. "He's very verbal and enthusiastic," Bowen said of James. "If everyone feeds off of him, it will make a big difference."

Mark James