High West
Hoey returned to the Trenton area in his sophomore year of high school and played for the Hamilton High School West varsity baseball team. In his senior year of high school, Hoey helped the team to win the NJSIAA Group III state championship with a 13-1 season. This was the school's first championship in its 70-year history. James walked away with 131 strike outs and a 0.48 ERA. In honor of James's prior accomplishments and his rapid success through the minor-league system, Hamilton High West retired his number during a formal ceremony on February 1, 2007.