Interest picking up for Jersey guard

James Inge, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound combo guard from Woodrow Wilson High School in Camden, N.J., is having a nice start to the AAU season this year. His efforts have sparked his recruitment as schools from the Atlantic 10, Big East and Big Ten have turned their attention up a notch with the rising senior.

Inge has kicked off his last AAU season strong with his Dejuan Wagner All-Stars squad, averaging over 20 points a game early on. Inge helped led his team to a big victory over the New Jersey All-Stars and received an invitation to the AAU Nationals in Orlando in July.

After averaging 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists as a junior, Inge is improving his overall game and working on his point guard skills. He'll slide over to the one spot as a junior just like his twin brother Semaj did.

The recruiting process is something Inges are used to. Semaj is part of Temple's 2005 class. He'll suit up for John Chaney in the fall. James said he was able to gauge how his own recruitment will go by watching his brother go through the process. The two brothers visited schools - Temple, Georgetown and Villanova - together.

"That helped a lot because he is a year ahead and I was able to see what he did and didn't do. I think I'll be able to do a good job at looking at all of my options now."

The Owls have an offer on the table for the class of 2006 guard, but James said he is looking elsewhere right now.

"I can possibly see myself playing in the Big East or Atlantic 10 but I'm always looking at other possibilities," Inge said.

His possibilities include West Virginia, LaSalle, Villanova and Indiana. All but the Hoosiers came in to see Inge in April at his school. The Hoosiers have recently entered the picture and will watch him this summer, he said. As Inge is still developing and only beginning to draw national attention, more schools will likely come into the picture in the coming months. Those programs are in luck, too, because Inge isn't in a hurry to make a decision.

"I don't want to sign early," Inge said. "I really want to wait it out like my brother did."

Coaches will have plenty of opportunities to gauge him against the best of the best. Inge will play in the Rumble in the Bronx with the Dejuan Wagner All-Stars in mid-June and his July is highlighted with a stop at the Nike All-American camp, where his brother gained some national notoriety. The summer will end in Orlando for the AAU Nationals.