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Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — Bryce James, the youngest son of LeBron James, will leave Sierra Canyon to attend Campbell Hall next season, a source close to the situation told ESPN.
Bryce, an emerging, 6-foot-6 prospect, played last season at Sierra Canyon next to his brother Bronny, who committed to USC earlier this month.
LeBron James has posted videos in recent years that have shown him working with Bronny and Bryce as they continued to develop. While Bronny has generated the bulk of the attention among the James children, Bryce’s size and the potential have made him a popular player on the current Nike EYBL circuit.
Campbell Hall (Studio City, Calif.) is about 19 miles from Sierra Canyon (Chatsworth, Calif.) and costs about $50,000 per year in tuition. According to the source, the James family has made a donation toward the creation of a new multi-million-dollar athletics facility on campus.
Bryce, 15, will play next season with other notable sons, including Richard Hamilton II, the son of former NBA star Richard Hamilton, and Baron Bellamy, son of comedian Bill Bellamy.
Campbell Hall had its brightest days when the NBA’s Holiday brothers — Aaron, Jrue and Justin — all played there together.
Bryce will play for head coach David Grace, who was most recently associate head coach for Vanderbilt (2019-2021) before a stint as a high school coach in Arizona last season.
Grace said he’s excited about potentially helping Bryce reach his ceiling as a basketball player.
“I want Bryce, if I get to coach him, to be Bryce,” Grace told ESPN. “Because that’s special, and I want him to get the most out of his experience here at Campbell Hall and grow. He’s going to have way more than just me helping, but I’m going to try to do my part. I understand where he’s coming from to a point. I’m not him. My family wasn’t in that spotlight, but I’ve been around the spotlight and I can share my experiences or I can just understand his experiences. That’s where I’ll grow as a coach.”
Grace said he’s had two experiences as a coach that should help him prepare for Bryce’s arrival. He was an assistant at Oregon State (2008-2013) under former head coach Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s brother. Grace said his interactions with President Barack Obama helped him understand the challenges for individuals who are scrutinized.
Grace also was an assistant at UCLA under Steve Alford when Lonzo Ball — and LaVar Ball — arrived prior to the 2016-2017 season.
“I got to learn a lot. I got to know how [fame] impacted Lonzo in college,” Grace said. “I got to see it every day. We went to Australia before the season started, and the first time I actually saw it was when we played a game against a pro team and the fans came onto the floor after the game to get to Lonzo. And I’m saying, ‘Wow, that’s the crazy power of social media.’ Lonzo hadn’t even played a game, an official game at UCLA yet.”
Grace has been on the job for two weeks but he said he’s already received nearly 60 calls from coaches around the country who want to schedule Campbell Hall next season. He said his priority will be to create a schedule that challenges his players but also allows them to develop.
“We’ll try to put the puzzle together and make sure we play a great schedule,” he said.