EVANSTON, Ill. (WAND) -- Brian James is Taylorville proud, through and through.
"It's just very, very fulfilling for me to call Taylorville my home," the Northwestern assistant coach told WAND Sports this week following the Wildcats' win over Columbia.
James' career has taken him all over the world, from his roots in Christian County to coaching Chris Collins at Glenbrook North High School to the Pistons, Raptors, Wizards, Bucks, 76ers and now the Big Ten with his former player Collins.
He's coached Michael Jordan and Springfield legend Andre Iguodala, the US National Team and scores of all-stars. But he hasn't lose touch of his roots in Taylorville -- maintaining his longtime friendship with mayor Bruce Barry and others from his past.
In fact, James made a trip before Christmas to survey the damage to his hometown from the recent tornado. He rattles off specific figures off the top of his head, from the amount of money raised to the specific numbers of houses that had varying degrees of damage.
"I just wanted to go back and show my support," James said. "Let people know that I care about them. They'll survive because they're strong people there that live in that town. They're great people."
In this extended edition of Alumni Tuesday, James talks about:
1) Visiting Taylorville after the tornado
2) His duties at Northwestern
3) His Taylorville mentors growing up
4) Coaching in the NBA; players he coached
5) Chris Collins shares his extended thoughts on Brian James
