SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The big day is here for the James family of Brooklyn, especially brothers Shawn and Delroy.

Finally, after what seems like an eternity, they are going to get to play college basketball against each other. They’ve been through so much in the last several years. Shawn James changed schools and then was one of five players shot 16 months ago in a shocking incident at Duquesne, his new school. Younger brother Delroy James has had academic problems that prevented him from playing for a year and a half for the University of Rhode Island.

This afternoon, the problems are forgotten as Shawn and the Dukes visit the Ryan Center for a 2 o’clock game against Delroy and the Rams.

The game is an important one for everyone. URI is 14-2 and ranked 22nd in the country. It needs to rebound after losing its conference opener at Dayton on Wednesday. Duquesne, with its best team in more than 20 years, is 11-3 with a five-game winning streak. It opened A-10 play with a 12-point victory over Fordham.

But it is more than a big game for the James family. It is their Super Bowl.

“My mother’s coming, my older brother, my sister, a lot of our friends. Everybody’s coming,” Delroy James said after finishing practice Friday with the Rams. “It’s going to be the first time my mother has seen us play against each other. It’s going to be the first time she’s ever seen me play.”

Delroy James, a 6-foot-7 forward, is still rounding into shape after missing the first semester and does not play a lot for URI.

His big brother is the prime reason Duquesne already has won more games than it did all last season and is off to the school’s best start in 28 years. A 6-10 forward with outstanding leaping ability and athleticism, Shawn James is one of the top players in the A-10. He is averaging 14.1 points and 7.1 rebounds.

His biggest attribute, though, is his ability to control play in the paint. He already has tied the Duquesne record for blocked shots in a season, with 60. He is fourth in the country in blocked shots this season. He needs eight more blocks to become the 18th player in NCAA history to reach 400. Two years ago, he led the country in blocks while playing for Northeastern, then decided to follow his coach, Ron Everhart to Duquesne.

“He opens up the lane. He can shoot, even 3-pointers,” his younger brother said. “He hasn’t been playing basketball that long, only like five years. When he was younger he didn’t play. He didn’t like to show his legs. That’s a fact.”

Only when he shot up from 6-1 to 6-7 in less than a year did his brother begin taking basketball seriously, Delroy said. He is coming on fast. There are scouts who say he is in the top three among A-10 players in terms of NBA potential.

“He’s really gotten better. He’s very good around the basket,” URI coach Jim Baron agrees. “He can shoot the ball. He’s a good player.”

Shawn James has played 69 college games. He has blocked at least one shot in every one. Everhart, his coach, calls him “the best shot blocker I’ve ever seen.”

“Everybody looks at Shawn and talks about how he can affect the game blocking shots,” Everhart said. “He can run. He can do a lot more.”

The Dukes went to a wide open, pressing and running style in the middle of last year and have continued to use it. They are third in the country in scoring at 88 per game. They lead the conference in steals.

“They rebound well,” Baron said. “They outrebounded Fordham, 47-35 and had 22 offensive rebounds. That’s something we can’t let happen.”

pkenyon@projo.com