Bryce James leaves Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, returns to Sierra Canyon

Bryce James’ brief days as a Sherman Oaks Notre Dame student and basketball player have ended. He has checked out of Notre Dame and is returning to Sierra Canyon, according to his new school. SB Live first reported the news. The son of Lakers star LeBron James played last season as a sophomore with his brother, Bronny, at Sierra Canyon.

He never played for Notre Dame. He was practicing and waiting to become eligible on Dec. 24 after transferring without moving. By returning to Sierra Canyon, he will be eligible immediately once transfer paperwork is finalized. He was at Sierra Canyon since seventh grade until he briefly left for Campbell Hall in the summer, then Notre Dame.

Sierra Canyon’s basketball team has become a popular destination for transfers within the Mission League this month.

The Trailblazers have already added players from Crespi and Bishop Alemany to join James, who has not been a starter during his days at Sierra Canyon.

LeBron James’ son Bryce James was expected to play for Notre Dame this season after his transfer. However, James is reportedly returning to Sierra Canyon in a massive decision, per Tarek Fattal of SBLive Sports. Fattal also reports that James will be eligible to play for Sierra Canyon as soon as he’s cleared by CIF.

Bryce is LeBron’s youngest son. Some people around the basketball world believe he will be a superstar someday. He has already been linked to top colleges such as Ohio State and USC.

Perhaps Bryce will choose to follow in his older bother Bronny James’ footsteps and join the Trojans. Or he could play his college ball in Ohio, which is where LeBron is from. For now, Bryce will focus on taking care of business on the high school court.

Bryce James played for Sierra Canyon during his freshman and sophomore seasons of high school. He performed well and has fans excited for the future.

Following his sophomore campaign, however, it was reported that Bryce would play for Campbell Hall, but he ended up transferring to Notre Dame instead.

And all of that led to this news breaking on Tuesday, as Bryce will play the 2023-24 season for the program where he originally began his high school career.

It is unclear what led to Bryce James’ decision. LeBron will surely be asked about it sooner rather than later. Regardless of the reasoning, this is a huge update for high school basketball.

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When the seniors were going through their final warmups and walks during pregame before the Wake Forest contest, there was one name that was noticeably absent.

Xavier Watts didn’t go through the usual rigamarole of a senior. He didn’t walk with Sam Hartman or Jack Kiser.

Watts is a senior. He had every right to do it. He should have done it, and the fact that he didn’t could be very good news for Notre Dame football faithful.

I say could be because it doesn’t appear anything is settled just yet. But because Watts’ first year in South Bend was in 2020, the senior has an extra year of eligibility if he wants it. Whether he decides to take it is still very much up in the air.

Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman addressed Watts not walking before the Senior Day win during his Monday press conference. While he didn’t shed much light on things, he made it clear that everyone involved is aware of the special situation.

“He’s not a senior. He was a guy I talked with — a lot of those guys that might be going into their fourth year — I had a conversation earlier in the year, ‘Do you want to be considered a senior this year?’ He was one of them that did not. I don’t know what he’s going to do in his future. I’m sure that’s what this question is pertaining to. I don’t know. He hasn’t made a decision (on declaring for the NFL Draft), but he didn’t want to be considered a senior.”

In the grand scheme of things, Xavier Watts not designating himself a senior just leaves his options open. He can come back for one more year in South Bend. Or he can still decide to head to the NFL.

At the moment, it would certainly make more sense for the nation’s leader in interceptions to go make that money. Especially since his seven interceptions are also the first seven interceptions of his collegiate career.

On the other hand, it makes sense for the defensive back to show that 2023 wasn’t a one-off. If he can show that what he’s become this season is a permanent upgrade, he’s likely to go even higher in the 2025 draft.

If Xavier Watts does come back, Notre Dame football would obviously welcome him with open arms.