ATHENS, Ga. — James Scott, who owns the highest career field goal percentage among all players slated to play NCAA Division I basketball next season, has signed to continue his college career with the Georgia Bulldogs during the 2026-27 campaign, head coach Mike White announced on Friday.
Scott, a 6-11, 225-pound rising senior forward from Fayetteville, N.C., has connected on 75.9 percent (246-of-324) of his shots from the field over three seasons, the best effort by any returning player by a 4.6 percent gap. He started 58 of 70 combined games played at Ole Miss in 2025-26 and Louisville in 2024-25. In addition, Scott spent his freshman season in 2023-24 at Charleston, where he was named to the Colonial Athletic Association’s (CAA) All-Freshman team and was a two-time CAA Freshman of the Week honoree. During his career, Scott has recorded 20 double-digit scoring efforts and eight double-figure rebounding tallies, leading to five double-doubles.
Last season with the Rebels, Scott started 27 or 35 games and averaged 3.9 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 17.9 minutes of playing time per game. He played a major role in Ole Miss’ run of upsets to reach the semifinals of the SEC Tournament, upping those contributions considerably to 7.0 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in 29.0 minutes per game. Scott scored 10 points in Ole Miss’ victory over the Bulldogs and grabbed a career-high 13 boards in the Rebels’ win over Alabama in the quarterfinals.
As a sophomore, Scott started 31 of 35 games at Louisville with averages of 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds and 23.6 minutes per outing. He combined 12 double-figure scoring and five double-digit rebounding counts to produce four double-doubles, including a career-high 16 points against SMU. Scott helped the Cardinals finish 27-8 overall and 18-2 in ACC play, with a final national ranking of No. 21 in both the AP and coaches polls.
Scott averaged 5.0 points, 3.4 boards and 1.3 blocks while playing in 35 games and making four starts at Charleston during the 2023-24 season. Of his 76 field goals, 52 were dunks, which ranked No. 23 nationally despite only averaging 16.0 minutes per game. The Cougars were 27-8 that season, sweeping the CAA regular-season and tournament titles to earn an NCAA Tournament bid. Scott was named CAA Freshman of the Week on Dec. 18 and Dec. 28.
Scott is the 11th player committed to Georgia’s 2026-27 roster.
The Bulldogs will welcome back six letterwinners, including 80 percent of their starting lineup in:
• Blue Cain, a 6-5, 195-pound rising senior guard from Knoxville, Tenn., who became Georgia’s 49th 1,000-point scorer – but first since 2017 – in the regular-season finale and is currently the Bulldogs’ career record holder for best free throw percentage (.846).
• Kanon Catchings, a 6-9, 220-pound rising junior forward from Brownsburg, Ind., who was the Bulldogs’ second-leading scorer in SEC play at 13.7 points per game and was named SEC Player of the Week on March 9 after averaging 27.5 points in key late-season wins over No. 16 Alabama and Mississippi State to lock up an NCAA Tournament bid.
• Marcus “Smurf” Millender, a 5-11, 175-pound rising senior guard from Houston Texas, who led the Bulldogs in assists and became the ninth player in school history with 100 assists and 50 3-pointers in the same season.
• Kareem Stagg, a 6-8, 230-pound rising sophomore forward from Chesapeake, Va., who emerged as a starter and key contributor during Georgia’s late-season surge to earn an NCAA bid by averaging 6.9 points per game over the final 10 contests of the season.
Georgia has now signed five newcomers, Scott and:
• Freddie Dilione V, a 6-5, 195-pound senior guard from Fayetteville, N.C., who was Penn State’s leading scorer both overall and in Big Ten play last season while averaging 14.0 ppg in 32 outings and 14.1 ppg in league action.
• Brady Dunlap, a 6-7, 200-pound redshirt junior forward from Studio City, Calif., who was the top 3-point shooter in the Atlantic 10 Conference (.451) and helped St. Louis reach the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament last season.
• David Ugonna Ike, a 7-0, 235-pound freshman post player from Owerri, Nigeria, who prepped at the NBA Academy Africa in Senegal. Earlier this year, Ike averaged 24.3 points and 12.3 rebounds while helping NBA Academy Africa compile a 3-0 record at the Advance Global Cup.
• Kemauri “Kemo” Millender, a 6-0, 180-pound junior guard from Houston, Texas, who helped New Mexico Junior College advance to the Round of 16 of the 2026 NJCAA DI Tournament last season while averaging 9.5 points per game. Millender is the older brother of current Bulldog “Smurf” Millender.
Georgia recorded 22 regular-season wins during the 2025-26 season, the most in school history, while also breaking program records for total points (2,951) and scoring average (89.4 ppg). The Bulldogs have now posted three consecutive 20-win seasons, just the third time in 121 seasons they have done so. Georgia has earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids for just the fourth time in program history.