From Cardozo to Prep School, to March Madness

James Southerland always had the talent to succeed at basketball. It was clearly evident when he played at Cardozo High School from 2004-2007. But he left to attend Notre Dame Prep, a national prep school hoops powerhouse in Fitchburg, Mass., to improve his grades and increase his college exposure.  Now he's a sophomore at Syracuse, preparing for a first-round NCAA Tournament game against Indiana St. on Friday.

He wasn't always poised for triumph. The knock on him among his high school coaches was that he lacked a strong work ethic, keeping him from reaching his full potential at the time.

"If he worked as hard on basketball as he did on video games, he would have been a pro in eight grade," Norte Dame head coach Ryan Hurd said, with a chuckle, of his former player old attitude.

Hurd said that the prep school has a saying: "The strong survive and the weak get shuffled out." It was something that seemed to have resonated with Southerland, motivating him to show up at the gym at 6 a.m. and running at night in order to better his overall game--all the while working hard to improve academically.

It seems to have worked, as Southerland became Notre Dame’s go-to-guy during crunch time in his second year at the school.

"There was nobody better then him, to have the ball in his hands when we needed a basket," the forth year coach said. "He just made plays. He’s just an incredible athlete, a pure shooter."

Though Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio wished Southerland had finished out his basketball career at the Bayside area high school, he did understand why he left to go to Notre Dame, who has a post-graduate program.

"James was a young kid at the time," Naclerio said. "That extra year, lets face it, if you’re a kid playing prep ball, that could be better for you," adding that the additional year gave Southerland more time to develop physically and mentally before entering Syracuse University.

As for Hurd, he’s seen the 6-8, 210-pound forward develop into a better player, most notably on the defensive end.

"His defensive discipline (is better)," he explained. "He’s where he’s suppose to be, as opposed to being out there just trying to make plays."

And he believes Southerland will be one of the most productive Orangemen over the next few years, that's if he keeps doing the right thing effort-wise, he noted.

"There will be no limit for him in his junior and senior years," Hurd said. "I’m telling you, in the next couple of years, you’re going to see him emerge as one of the top scorers on Syracuse."

One thing is for sure: both coaches feel he has the talent to join the professional ranks in the future.

"He's got the skill set to play professionally somewhere," Hurd said. "I see James making money in the game," Naclerio added. "He does have NBA attributes, some scouts said to me."

For now, Southerland will be happy to contribute to Syracuse winning the NCAA tournament. The rest, he'll have to work even harder to achieve.