There were days James Buie thought about giving up and heading home during the pandemic. James and the Memphis Grizzlies are glad he didn't.
“I know I’ve earned everything I’ve gotten but God and Guilford played a big role in where I am today. I’m just so excited.”
There were times James Buie ’24 let the doubts creep into his mind. Maybe, he thought, Guilford College wasn’t the home for him.
He was a sophomore football player at the College in the midst of a global pandemic. A few of his teammates and friends were transferring, unhappy with their playing time and spending most of their off-field time isolated in their dorms.
James started thinking maybe the other students were right to leave. Maybe a change in colleges made sense. “I wasn’t in a good place mentally,” he says. “I started thinking there might be somewhere else better for me.”
Even pandemics have silver linings. After thinking about his situation, James decided to stay at Guilford. With fewer friends and fewer activities because of social distancing, he decided to use that extra time to apply to his studies.
“Looking back, it was a blessing in disguise,” he says. “I got focused on what matters and what was important to me.”
What’s important to James is a career in sports. This month he’ll graduate with a degree in Sport Management from Guilford. There will be little time to celebrate because he starts a job in June working in sales for the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.
For James, the job offer is the perfect launching point of his career. He wants to one day lead the sales department for a professional sports team. “I can’t wait to start,” he says. “This is the first step to my dream.”
James says Guilford has prepared him for this job. His professors, Visiting Assistant Professor for Sport Studies Michael White in particular, prepared him for what awaits. “He brought the most out of me, made me see my potential,” says James.
Interning in the Wake Forest Athletics Department, James had a chance to focus on sales. He participated in the Atlanta Hawks Virtual Sales Academy and was the public address announcer for the College’s lacrosse and softball games. “Everything I did was to get me to this point,” he says.
Now it’s on to Memphis. A new career, a new life. There are no more doubts for James. He's certain he'll succeed. “I know I’ve earned everything I’ve gotten but God and Guilford played a big role in where I am today. I’m just so excited.”