If Sunday was Nigel James Jr.’s breakout party, Wednesday was proof it was not a fluke.
The first-year point guard made his first career start in Marquette men’s basketball’s 89-49 win over Little Rock — in place of an injured Sean Jones (right shoulder) — and continued to look well beyond his years.
“He was nervous,” Marquette head coach Shaka Smart said. “One thing about NJ is he really, really cares. He lives this. He doesn’t want to let people down. I just told him, ‘Just do what you do.'”
It’s safe to say James Jr. received the message, finishing as the second highest scoring Golden Eagle with 13 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the floor and 1-for-2 from beyond the arc.
It was his lone three that’s as good a place to start as any.
Marquette had just tied the game, 20-20, after a sluggish start and quick timeout when trailing by six points with 10:01 remaining in the first half.
James Jr., needing to keep his team’s momentum in the right direction, dribbled the ball up the floor, passed to Ben Gold at the top of the key, found himself open on the wing and nailed a no-hesitation 3-pointer. As the ball swished through the net, James Jr. looked back right at Smart, perhaps signaling to his coach he made the right decision starting him.
On the ensuing possession, he, the Golden Eagles’ deflection leader showed his defensive abilities, with a 360-degree steal-to-dunk in transition — his 11th point of the game after just over 12 minutes.
Unfazed.
11-0 run. @nigel_j24 up to 11.#MUBB | #WeAreMarquette pic.twitter.com/3AfMT9o6pi
— Marquette Basketball (@MarquetteMBB) November 13, 2025
The sequence capped off an 11-0 run, gave Marquette a 25-20 lead and forced Little Rock to call timeout.
James Jr., the lone Golden Eagle to play at least 10 minutes and post a positive plus/minus in the 100-77 drubbing against Indiana, continued to show why he can be an effective member of the rotation.
He spent his 22 minutes on Wednesday zipping all over the court. He drove into traffic, hop-stepped through defenders and even tossed grenade-style one-handed passes over the heads of Trojans. Seemingly every drive & kick, fast-break, defensive kill and even bench celebration, included him.
It was eerily reminiscent of Jones — whom James Jr. replaced.
“He did a good job running our team; he had a lot of hockey assists tonight. A big deal when you’re playing against a trapping team,” Smart said. “I give him a good, solid B. He can be better.”
At halftime, James Jr.’s 11 points were second only to Chase Ross’ 12, leading all players on both teams as Marquette took a 46-29 lead. The Golden Eagles had 18 fast-break points in the opening 20 minutes compared to just two from Little Rock, with James Jr. playing a major role in that advantage.
“I’m just super proud of him,” fellow first-year guard Adrien Stevens said. “We’re roommates, and so, we talked about it last night, and I was just telling him, ‘You’re ready for this opportunity, and you know you’ve done all the work.’
“Went out and showed that he was ready. I’m super proud of him and he’s going to keep working and keep getting better.”
After the game, Smart said they don’t know how long Jones is going to out for.
“This one is his shooting shoulder,” Smart said. “Kenny (Wilka), our trainer, is not fully sure how long he’ll be out. We’re hopeful it’s not too long, but as you saw, he is in a sling there.”
And while the Golden Eagles would certainly like to have their redshirt junior point guard healthy for Saturday’s game against Maryland, their first-year point guard has shown repeatedly he can step up when called upon.
Wednesday was even more proof.
This story was written by Conor McPherson. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter/X @ConorMcPherson_.
