University of Georgia Athletics
The Work Never Stops For James
January 12, 2026 | Men's Basketball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Dylan James' contributions to the Georgia men's basketball team go well beyond scoring. The 6-foot-9 junior forward wants to be a complete, versatile player who can do a bit of everything.
"Every team needs that kind of guy, so I'm just trying to fit in a specific role and help the team where they need it," James said.
The No. 18-ranked Bulldogs, who lead the country in scoring at 96.4 points per game, have plenty of guys who can get buckets. Heading into Wednesday's game against Ole Miss at Stegeman Coliseum, Georgia has four players averaging double-digit points per game and 10 averaging at least 5.3. Georgia is also going deep into its bench each game, with 11 players on the court for 11.5 minutes or more.
After last season's NCAA tournament appearance, Georgia lost six of its top seven scorers, so head coach Mike White and his staff brought in a host of new players — some freshmen and some via the transfer portal. James, in his third season at UGA, is playing a career-high 16.8 minutes per game and is averaging a career-high 5.3 points. But it's everything else he's doing that stands out.
"Everybody can score the ball, everybody wants to score the ball, so I'm just trying to fit into a specific role and help the team where they need it," James said. "The coaches went into the portal and got scorers, so I'm just trying to fit into the team, fit into the dynamic, and wherever our weaknesses are, just kind of fill that role."
Last season, James had 11 steals over 32 games; he has 20 already this season. He has more than doubled his rebounds per game average, from 2.2 to 4.9, and after making 14 of 27 free-throw attempts last season, 51.9%, he's hit 22 of 27 (81.5%) so far. And in overtime of Georgia's win over Auburn on Jan. 3, James swished a pair late to help seal the win.
"That's just me getting in here and shooting 100 free throws and trying to make a certain amount, trying to fix the mechanics," James said of his improvement from the line. "I've definitely been in here working on free throws; that's been one of the biggest focuses. I'm continuing to work on all the other parts of my game, as well."
James has been praised for his consistency throughout his Georgia career. He's a positive guy, fun to be around, and he's always one of the hardest-working guys on the team. White said he has seen the kind of progression in James' game that you often do when players are in the same system for three years.
"He's gotten a little quicker, faster, stronger every month he's been here," White said. "He's not shooting it as well as he's capable of shooting it, but give him some credit, he's not whining when shots don't go in. Instead, he's affecting the game in other ways. He's a culture guy; he's a high character dude who always plays hard."
James said it has been gratifying to see the work he's put in the gym pay off on the court. But he's far from complacent.
"There are always new goals and new things to reach, so you're never really satisfied," he said. "It's good to see the work pay off, but you're never not pushing yourself. At this level, there are always higher reaches to strive for."
James has embraced his leadership role on the team, knowing it's one way he can help elevate the Bulldogs on and off the court.
"You've seen things that the other guys maybe haven't, so it's about giving advice in areas where it's needed," he said.
All of James' work on his overall game only makes him want to work harder and strive to be better tomorrow than he was today.
"There's such a thing as burnout, but when you have passion and love for the game, you can't get tired of being in the gym," he said. "The work never stops."
Staff Writer
Dylan James' contributions to the Georgia men's basketball team go well beyond scoring. The 6-foot-9 junior forward wants to be a complete, versatile player who can do a bit of everything.
"Every team needs that kind of guy, so I'm just trying to fit in a specific role and help the team where they need it," James said.
The No. 18-ranked Bulldogs, who lead the country in scoring at 96.4 points per game, have plenty of guys who can get buckets. Heading into Wednesday's game against Ole Miss at Stegeman Coliseum, Georgia has four players averaging double-digit points per game and 10 averaging at least 5.3. Georgia is also going deep into its bench each game, with 11 players on the court for 11.5 minutes or more.
After last season's NCAA tournament appearance, Georgia lost six of its top seven scorers, so head coach Mike White and his staff brought in a host of new players — some freshmen and some via the transfer portal. James, in his third season at UGA, is playing a career-high 16.8 minutes per game and is averaging a career-high 5.3 points. But it's everything else he's doing that stands out.
"Everybody can score the ball, everybody wants to score the ball, so I'm just trying to fit into a specific role and help the team where they need it," James said. "The coaches went into the portal and got scorers, so I'm just trying to fit into the team, fit into the dynamic, and wherever our weaknesses are, just kind of fill that role."
Last season, James had 11 steals over 32 games; he has 20 already this season. He has more than doubled his rebounds per game average, from 2.2 to 4.9, and after making 14 of 27 free-throw attempts last season, 51.9%, he's hit 22 of 27 (81.5%) so far. And in overtime of Georgia's win over Auburn on Jan. 3, James swished a pair late to help seal the win.
"That's just me getting in here and shooting 100 free throws and trying to make a certain amount, trying to fix the mechanics," James said of his improvement from the line. "I've definitely been in here working on free throws; that's been one of the biggest focuses. I'm continuing to work on all the other parts of my game, as well."
James has been praised for his consistency throughout his Georgia career. He's a positive guy, fun to be around, and he's always one of the hardest-working guys on the team. White said he has seen the kind of progression in James' game that you often do when players are in the same system for three years.
"He's gotten a little quicker, faster, stronger every month he's been here," White said. "He's not shooting it as well as he's capable of shooting it, but give him some credit, he's not whining when shots don't go in. Instead, he's affecting the game in other ways. He's a culture guy; he's a high character dude who always plays hard."
James said it has been gratifying to see the work he's put in the gym pay off on the court. But he's far from complacent.
"There are always new goals and new things to reach, so you're never really satisfied," he said. "It's good to see the work pay off, but you're never not pushing yourself. At this level, there are always higher reaches to strive for."
James has embraced his leadership role on the team, knowing it's one way he can help elevate the Bulldogs on and off the court.
"You've seen things that the other guys maybe haven't, so it's about giving advice in areas where it's needed," he said.
All of James' work on his overall game only makes him want to work harder and strive to be better tomorrow than he was today.
"There's such a thing as burnout, but when you have passion and love for the game, you can't get tired of being in the gym," he said. "The work never stops."
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
Players Mentioned
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