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Ole Miss

James Scott looks back at viral mask, facial injury last season

On3 imageby: Dan Morrison06/11/25dan_morrison96
James Scott, Louisville
James Scott, Louisville - © Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Now looking to make a name for himself with Ole Miss, James Scott managed to make a name for himself last season with Louisville. That happened when he went viral for the mask that he wore during games. That bold mask was one he chose to wear to help keep himself safe following a facial injury that knocked out his teeth.

Admittedly, the mask wasn’t ideal for Scott. It looked like a cross between something Bane would wear in The Dark Knight Rises with The Silence of the Lambs. However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have it with him, even if he won’t need it next season.

“No,” James Scott said. “I don’t miss the mask at all… I still have it. I’ve got it in my room, yeah. It’s in Oxford.”

James Scott was injured back in February when Louisville was playing Miami. It was about nine minutes into the game when Miami forward Brandon Johnson landed on his head going for a loose ball. Scott came up bloody and bleeding from the mouth. He’d had his teeth knocked out and had to leave the game to go to a dentist.

“It was like crazy,” Scott said. “I never thought I would ever like lose my teeth playing basketball. So, losing them was crazy, and having to pick them up. It was all crazy, but it was cool. It was crazy I was able to not miss any games and just be able to keep playing.”

The dentist is the kind of place people use as a prop in jokes about unpleasant experiences and long waits. However, there was clearly some urgency with James Scott, who came in with an injury.

“I spent like an hour. They just had to pull the teeth out and put stitches in. It wasn’t that crazy… I did [try to return to that game]. I wanted to, but it was too far… It only hurts when they were pulling it out, but it don’t hurt when you get it knocked out.”

Last season, with Louisville, James Scott would play in 35 games and averaged 23.6 minutes per game. He averaged 7.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game on 75.5 percent shooting from the field, 16.7 percent shooting from three-point range, and 43.5 percent from the free throw line. On the defensive end, he averaged 0.6 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

Now with Ole Miss, Scott is going to hope to improve on those numbers and help get the Rebels back to the NCAA Tournament. He’ll also hope to avoid suffering any similar injuries that would force him to once again put on the mask.