Paul Julian James (born 11 September 1964) is a former

professional A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and skil ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and current

head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...

of the

British Basketball League The British Basketball League (BBL) is a men's professional basketball league in Great Britain and represents the highest level of play in the countries. The league is contested by 10 teams from England and Scotland. There are no clubs howeve ...

(BBL) team Plymouth City Patriots. Born in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands. The city l ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, James' career in basketball started out as a player for his hometown team Leicester All-Stars. He made his league debut on 26 September 1981, just weeks after his 17th

birthday A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person, or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage. Many re ...

, against local rivals

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...

. He enjoyed seven successful years at the All-Stars (now known as Riders) before moving south to sign for

Bracknell Tigers Thames Valley Tigers was a British professional basketball team that competed in the British Basketball League (BBL) until 2005, when funding was ceased and the franchise folded. Based in Bracknell, Berkshire, the team's fans set up a new team to ...

in 1988. After nine years as a player, James was then promoted head coach of the Tigers in 1997, a position he retained until 2005 when the franchise was pulled from the league. However, he was soon offered the coaching position of

Guildford Heat The Surrey Scorchers are an English professional basketball team based in Guildford, Surrey, that compete in the British Basketball League. The team was established in 2005 as the Guildford Heat by fans of former British Basketball League te ...

, a club established by fans of the former Tigers to take their place in the BBL. In just two seasons, James led the new franchise to fifth place in their rookie season and a League and Cup double in 2007, an achievement for the club, for which he was awarded

BBL Coach of the Year The British Basketball League Coach of the Year award is an annual award presented to head coaches in the British Basketball League, and has been awarded at the end of every campaign since the 1987–1988 season. The award is decided by a panel con ...

2007. The proceeding season saw James lead the Heat into its first European adventure, competing in the ULEB Cup, however a disappointing campaign finished 0-10 in a Group that contained the likes of DKV Joventut,

Alba Berlin Alba Berlin is a German professional basketball club that is based in Berlin, Germany. The club was founded in 1991, and is today the largest German national basketball club by membership figures. Alba Berlin hosts its home games at the Mercedes ...

and BC Šiauliai. The 2008-2009 season was one of financial struggle for Guildford, and as a cost-cutting measure confirmed that James's contract would not be renewed at the end of the season. Thus leading to the appointment of Chad McKnight, a former player under James at the Heat, as the new player/coach of the Guildford team. On 7 December 2009 it was announced that James was appointed as the new head coach of

Worcester Wolves The Worcester Wolves are a basketball club in Worcester, England, Worcester, England. The team plays in the National Basketball League (England), NBL Division 2, the third tier of British basketball. The club was formed in 2000, and from 2006 u ...

following the resignation of Chuck Evans. On 29 January 2010 it was announced that James was appointed as head coach of the England men's team. On 10 August 2021, it was announced that James was appointed as inaugural head coach of the Plymouth City Patriots a new franchise for the 2021–22 BBL season.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Paul 1964 births Living people British men's basketball players English basketball coaches Surrey Scorchers Leicester Riders players Sportspeople from Leicester Guildford Heat coaches Worcester Wolves coaches Plymouth City Patriots coaches Point guards