After missing four games with a sprained MCL, sophomore center Joel James has returned to full practice and should play against Miami on Wednesday Roy Williams said on his radio program.
Via Inside Carolina
"He’s there. It’s just that we made the decision that we were going to hold him out for a certain number of days to see how he felt. On Friday’s practice that was the decision maker because we asked him to do a little bit more and he was sore afterwards so then we cut him back a little bit Saturday and played the game Sunday. We put his name in the book in case of an emergency. We could’ve played him but at the same time I said let’s let him shoot layups and stretch and work out a little bit, get one more day and see how the knee feels. He was full go today at practice with no limitations. Unless he gets some pain or swelling or something he will be able to play."
The question is will James return to the starting lineup. Based on the way things have gone with both Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks the answer to that is probably yes unless Williams still wants to limit his minutes for some reason. Meeks simply isn't quite there in terms of his lift and explosiveness to truly be effective in the post. Johnson just seems like a better fit coming off the bench which could have been the primary reason behind Meeks starting against Wake Forest.
One other note from Williams' radio program. He called Monday's practice the most physical of the season with a great deal of emphasis placed on posting up and interior offensive moves. The team also was shown the game film from Sunday's loss to Wake Forest which included twenty layups given up.
