Student of the Game
Former Hawks forward Daniel James ’13 has forged a global coaching career, mentoring pros and rising stars alike.
A career in professional basketball can be a game of global hopscotch, moving someone from opportunity to opportunity like a journeyman with a whistle. Daniel James ’13 knows the rhythm well. Since August, he has been an assistant coach with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, the latest chapter in a career that has spanned continents.
Basketball at that level can be an unforgiving business, he says. Talent alone isn’t enough; relationships matter just as much. The ties he’s forged through the years, and his persistence, have helped him find his way back to the game through many twists and turns.
James came to Monmouth from Huddersfield, England, by way of Norton College (his high school) in Sheffield, where he played for the U18 England National Team and the Sheffield Junior Sharks, his club team. As James recalls, Monmouth’s then–head coach, Dave Calloway ’91, ’95M, saw enough of him on film to make the trip overseas to watch him in person, and soon after, offered him a scholarship.
Things didn’t go as planned. Two knee surgeries and a partial MCL tear limited James’ time on the court at Monmouth and eventually led him to question his passion for the game. New Head Coach King Rice sensed it too, and together they charted a new course for James. Rice made sure James could finish his degree on scholarship while staying close to the program. He spent his last year watching and listening to Monmouth’s coaching staff, observing how they operated and how they scouted, learning the game from a different perspective. Those experiences lodged deep in his subconscious. He graduated with a communications and media studies degree as well as a foundation that would resurface when he eventually found his way to coaching.
At first, though, James tried other paths—knocking on doors for a New Jersey–based home remodeling company and later working in hospitality in New York City. At EMM Group, now Catch Hospitality, his job was to make VIP clients feel welcome and keep them coming back to the company’s clubs and restaurants. The roster included CEOs, musicians, actors, and NFL players, but James naturally gravitated toward NBA players. He liked them, and more importantly, they liked him. For a time, he even imagined a future as an agent, one focused not just on contracts but also skills, mental health, and overall development. That holistic mindset, he would find, translated perfectly to coaching once the opportunity came.
His break came when trainer Chris Johnson, whose clients included NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler, called him in to help after losing an assistant. James jumped at the chance, and the experience launched him into player development.
From New York to Shanghai, from the Bahamas to Spain, James forged connections that led to opportunities with elite players. He trained veterans like Luol Deng and Tomáš Satoranský and took on roles with Chinese Basketball Association teams in Shanghai, Liaoning, and Guangzhou. He also spent a season with the London Lions of the British Basketball League and EuroCup. Everywhere he went, James absorbed more about teaching the game. The stops added up to a global education, one built on observing how different cultures approached the sport and how elite players refined their craft.
He also thought about what he wished he’d had as a young player in England: structure, opportunity, exposure. In 2024, he cofounded UK50 to provide that. The organization identifies and develops the top young players in the UK, pairing training with mentorship and competition. This past summer, his UK50 team stunned world No. 16–ranked China to win the Shanghai Future Star Tournament. For James, it was proof of concept: a pathway for British players that could lead to scholarships, careers, and lifelong confidence.
That philosophy crystallized several years ago, when James worked alongside longtime NBA assistant Phil Handy as he trained LeBron James. The NBA legend had achieved everything, but his hunger to continue improving was unmistakable.
Why, James asked Handy, is LeBron pushing himself?
“He’s just a student of the game,” Handy told him.
That answer stuck. Today, Daniel James channels the same drive into his work with Xinjiang and UK50, helping pros and prospects chase their own potential. “It’s experience; it’s life,” he says. “For me, it’s always more than just X’s and O’s.”