It's back to hoops for LeBron and teammates

CLEVELAND -- LeBron James' next court date is Saturday. He won't be bringing his lawyers.

Now that he has been given permission by a judge to continue playing, James will return to the floor this weekend when top-ranked Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary plays in a tournament in Trenton, N.J.

"It's back to basketball and back to business," said coach Dru Joyce.

At least for a few days.

James had his eligibility restored Wednesday when a judge granted a temporary restraining order, allowing the senior superstar to play three of four games remaining in the regular season.

James faces another hearing on Feb. 19 when a judge will rule whether to grant a permanent order to block a state commission's ruling that the 18-year-old violated amateur rules by accepting two sports jerseys -- valued at $845 -- from a clothing store.

Before then, James can concentrate on trying to win a state title, something his attorney, Fred Nance, argued that he was being denied.

On Saturday, the Fighting Irish (14-1) play nationally ranked Los Angeles Westchester, led by UCLA-bound Trevor Ariza in the Prime Time Shootout.

"They've got a very good team, a lot of talent," Joyce said Thursday. "But we do, too."

James practiced with his teammates on Wednesday shortly after learning he had been reinstated.

Joyce said the nation's best player didn't miss a beat during his absence, which began last Friday when the Ohio High School Athletic Association declared him ineligible for breaking one of its rules on amateurism.

"'Bron's in great shape, and he didn't miss anything during the layoff," Joyce said.

The spotlight is brighter than ever on James, who is expected to be the No. 1 pick in this year's NBA draft.

Joyce isn't worried about the extra attention distracting James.

"If anything, it's going to make him more focused," said Joyce, who has known James for about nine years, having coached him at the AAU level. "He wants to move on and just play basketball. That's what we all want to do."

Following the OHSAA's decision, James had to sit for the first time in his career and nervously watched from the bench as his teammates beat Canton McKinley 63-62. He'll miss a Feb. 23 home game against Toledo Scott as part of the judge's ruling.

Despite playing without James, the Fighting Irish, whose only loss is a forfeit which came as part of the OHSAA's decision against James, showed they're a pretty good squad.

"These kids had a lot of confidence before they had to play without 'Bron," Joyce said. "They've accepted their roles on this team and that's why we're as good as we are."

Joyce is relieved to have James back. But he said there was no excessive celebrating when he and his players learned James would be rejoining them.

"I kind of stick to the John Wooden philosophy," said Joyce, in his second year at the school. "I don't like emotional highs because you always have valleys. The guys were happy, but it wasn't the kind of jumping around. It's about business here and it's about playing basketball."