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Statistics show that just 2 percent of high school athletes move on to play a sport in college.

Ellender Memorial senior Orieon James hopes to beat that trend – times two.

James is both a standout volleyball and basketball player for Ellender – so good that she has collegiate interest in both sports.

James said she’s fielding interest and doesn’t yet know which sport she wants to play at the next level. When asked to pick a favorite, she smiled and said simply, “That’s hard. I don’t know.”

But James said having two things that she excels at is a blessing, adding that she knows she’s one of the fortunate few with a chance to compete past the high school ranks.

“I am still looking and schools are still calling trying to get interest and everything,” James said. “Some schools are calling about volleyball. Others are asking about basketball. It’s an honor and a blessing to have two sports. It’s just a great feeling and a wonderful thing.”

It’s not difficult to see why James has caught the eye of some at the next level.

She’s one heck of a player – in both of her sports.

In volleyball, James is an outside hitter – a powerful player who can kill the ball with authority on both sides of the court. She’s also a plus-level defender who has the ability to rise up well above the net to defend opposing offenses because of her plus-level size and elite athletic ability.

Ellender hasn’t ever been known as a volleyball power, but James said she loves to play, adding that she knows she can play with the best of ‘em – if given the opportunity.

But Ellender is a basketball power and James established herself firmly as one of the best to ever play at the prestigious powerhouse program.

As a junior, James was arguably the best player on a team that won the Class 4A State Championship.

James averaged a double-double in that season and played her best when the games mattered most, including two huge performances against South Lafourche in the regular season and dominant games in the Class 4A State Playoffs.

For her efforts, James was named the Class 4A Most Outstanding Player – an honor she earned after leading her team in scoring in a State Championship Game win against Salmen.

After the game, James said to hear her name called to receive the Most Outstanding Player Trophy was something she would never forget.

“It’s something I just can’t describe,” she said. “It’s just an amazing feeling. It is something that I didn’t expect, but it shows that hard work and dedication really do count at the highest levels.”

James and the Lady Patriots returned a lot of players off their title team in 2017-18 and expectations were high that the Lady Patriots could go back-to-back.

Ellender did have a strong regular season – again winning the District 7-4A Championship, but this year, the team didn’t play its best in the high-stakes games and instead faltered in the second-round, falling to Salmen – the same team they’d beaten for the title just one year before.

James was a force throughout the season – again averaging a double-double for the Lady Patriots.

But she said the playoff loss hurt because she never envisioned her career ending with a home defeat in the playoffs.

James said being a Lady Patriot basketball player meant a lot to her and she said she told all of her underclassmen teammates after the game that she looks forward to watching them next year, adding that she knows that they can win it all and get back on top.

“They can win another ring,” James said. “I believe in them. I know they can do it.”

But while the public knows James as a dominant athletic presence, those around her know that this lady is also a quality student, as well – one with big aspirations for academic success.