Ole Miss Portal Action: Chris Beard lands commitment from Louisville forward James Scott
OXFORD, Miss. – Chris Beard and the Ole Miss men’s basketball staff have landed former Louisville Cardinal James Scott, a 6-foot-11 forward from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Scott began his collegiate career at the College of Charleston, where he played in nearly every single game as a true freshman. Once it was announced that his head coach, Pat Kelsey, was taking over at Louisville before this past season, Scott entered the portal and followed him to the ACC.
Louisville center transfer James Scott has signed with Ole Miss, @chris_hummer and I have learned for @cbssports/@247sports.
The 7-foot-1 Scott was one of the top ranked uncommitted players in the portal. Averaged 7.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game last season.… pic.twitter.com/RZfFxJti0V
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) May 7, 2025
During his one and only year with Louisville, Scott played in all 35 games for the Cardinals while averaging 23.6 minutes, 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. Despite losing the game to the Rebels, Scott managed to record nine rebounds and score six points against Ole Miss last winter.
Scott finished with the second-highest 2PT FG% in the NCAA last season at 78.1%. He also provided the Cardinals with skills as a defensive anchor in the paint, hoisting a 4.1 BLK% and a defensive rating in the top-10 of the ACC at 99.2.
Through the return of Malik Dia, acquiring Corey Chest from LSU, and pairing them both with Scott, the frontcourt of Ole Miss has a chance to be one of the most talented in the SEC. James will come to Oxford with two years of eligibility and make an impact the moment he arrives on campus.
In addition to Chest, Scott joins transfers AJ Storr (Kansas), Koren Johnson (Louisville), Augusto Cassia (Butler) and Travis Perry (Kentucky).
As always, be sure to stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for all of your Ole Miss sports needs.
