CLEVELAND — Latoya Jackson will immediately recognize a familiar difference in her daughter, NC State guard Aziaha James, as she rises to another level on the basketball court.
Jackson knows her daughter’s inspiration: the memory of her older brother, Ashley “AJ” James, who died in an accidental shooting four years ago.
“I can feel my son’s presence when she plays,” Jackson said, “and knowing that he’s watching over her from heaven and cheering her every step along the way. He’s guiding her toward the victory she’s so much looking for.”
Since the start of the NCAA women’s tournament, an inspired James has helped fuel the No. 3 seed Wolfpack toward Final Four game Friday against No. 1 seed South Carolina (7 p.m. ET, ABC).
NC State (31-6) has advanced to the Final Four for the first time in 26 years.
“We’re party crashers,” James said. “People didn’t invite us here. We weren’t even ranked to start the season. We’re one of the last four teams. This means we’ve arrived.”
Lance King/Getty Images
NC State has made an improbable run. The Wolfpack was unranked in the preseason polls and will face a squad on the verge of becoming the 10th Division I women’s basketball team to finish a season unbeaten since the NCAA era began in 1981-82.
South Carolina will play in its fourth straight Final Four and is 108-3 over the last three seasons. Coach Dawn Staley has rebuilt a team that lost all five starters to the WNBA last year.
James is posting impressive postseason numbers. The lefty shooter’s scoring averages leaped to 24.3 points and 57% from 3-point range.
She credits the little voice in her head.
“I’m going to always talk to myself and talk to my brother,” James said. “I hear him saying, ‘Come on, you got this. You got the next play.’ He says to let that 3 go, and I let it go in my last game.”
James was 0-for-6 from 3-point range in the loss to Notre Dame in the ACC title game. The Wolfpack defeated Chattanooga in Round 1 and Tennessee in Round 2 in the NCAA tournament. James scored 29 points in the team’s Sweet 16 victory over Stanford, and 27 points in the regional final over Texas. She was 5-of-5 from 3-point range in the first half, finishing 7-of-9 from the 3-point range.
James’ mother saw the change in the last two victories.
“That was Aziaha in those first two games, and she was AJ against Stanford and Texas, that was his presence,” Jackson said. “During those games, it was like the movie The Last Dragon, when Leroy had that glow around him when he was fighting Sho’nuff. She was like that, playing without any fear.”
Growing up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, James learned the art of basketball from her mother and brother Ashley, who was two years older. The sister and brother became the first siblings to be named All-Tidewater in Virginia. They repeated as All-Tidewater the following year. James was also named the region’s player of year, and her brother was named first team. He became regional player of the year in his senior season.
After high school, Ashley James enrolled at Hargrave Military Academy and accepted a scholarship to Missouri State.
He’d never get the opportunity to play college basketball.
In March 2020, Ashley James was killed in an accidental shooting just a few hours after watching his sister play in a regional high school championship game. He was 19.
James’ high school coach at Princess Anne High School, Darnell Dozier, who’s won 13 state titles and has more than 700 wins in 29 seasons, remembers his player’s pain.
“She just cried and cried,” Dozier said. “I remember her [cradling] a basketball, going to the gym and shooting for hours by herself. He taught her basically everything. They were really close.”
Several days after her brother’s death, James scored a career-high 41 points in a playoff game. She finished her high school career with four state titles and earned state player of the year for her class.
James signed with NC State. She had a lackluster freshman year, averaging 4.2 points in limited minutes. She averaged 6.8 points in six starts as a sophomore. In the era of the transfer portal, James weighed her options.
Her high school coach offered his opinion.
“She was confused because young people listen to other people telling them they should start, and maybe they should go play somewhere else,” Dozier said. “Sometimes you just have to wait your turn. And when you’re in the right place, you’re willing to wait.”
She decided to remain in Raleigh, North Carolina. A change in the roster, including four starters lost in the transfer portal, opened the door for James. Her regular-season scoring average soared to 16.7 points to lead the team. She also made All-ACC first team.
Wolfpack coach Wes Moore said the transition from high school to college can take some time. James joined a veteran team in her freshman year. As a sophomore, NC State advanced to the Elite Eight with players who had five years of experience.
“The good thing is a lot of kids today wouldn’t bide their time, they just go into the portal, but she was willing to be patient and work hard,” Moore said. “Now look at her. As she said, everybody knows her name.”
And only a handful of people know what continues to drive James. She has a tattoo of her brother near her left shoulder blade. She said that means he always has her back.
“Locking into my zone is my inner peace by just thinking about my brother, and thinking about the good memories, the talks and the motivation,” James said. “That’s my core memories that I’ll never forget.”
