Brian James, a standout point guard for the New York Institute of Technology (Old Westbury) Bears basketball team, is spending the summer of 2001 playing pro hoops for the Philadelphia Force of the National Rookie League. A 2001 graduate of NYIT with a degree in business administration, James was selected as one of the Force's 10 active-roster players after a tryout that included young players from all over the Northeast.

"Brian was a true star at NYIT and has a very bright future in pro basketball," said Sal Lagano, head coach of the Bears basketball team. "I'm confident that this first pro experience will lead him to any number of career options, including shots at teams in the U.S. and Europe. I'm proud to have been his coach and look forward to seeing him succeed in the future."

A native of Queens and graduate of Newtown High School, James has been honored as New York Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week, named to the All-Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association Division II Team and selected for the All-NYCAC Second Team. He ranks near the top among NYIT's past players, with the second-highest number of assists (485), third-highest number of total points scored (1,448) and a free-throw percentage of 73.8.

The National Rookie League serves as an unaffiliated minor league for the NBA and overseas pro leagues, preparing players ages 24 and under for future pro basketball careers. Last year, nearly all of the NRL's players were signed by pro teams in the U.S. and abroad. Tryouts are held each spring for teams that play throughout the summer in major media markets in the Northeast, including New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.

New York Institute of Technology is an independent, nonsectarian college that offers, through eight schools, more than 100 courses of study leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. NYIT currently educates more than 10,000 students on three physical campuses-in Old Westbury and Central Islip, Long Island, and Manhattan, near Lincoln Center-and one virtual campus via the Internet. More than 57,000 alumni have received degrees from NYIT.