FEBRUARY 4, 2010 ISSUE
Sims’ Big Night
ASU Basketball’s Sims Scores Career High 44 Points Against Davidson
ASU Basketball’s Donald Sims, a junior from Gaffney, S.C., is leading the team with 19.3 points per game and scored a career high 44 points against Davidson recently.
Donald Sims was expected to be the Mountaineer dishing out the assists and getting his teammates in position to score points.
He’s doing that and much more, including scoring loads of points.
Sims, a junior from Gaffney, S.C., is leading the team with 19.3 points per game and scored a career high 44 points against Davidson recently.
Those points, along with 22 against The Citadel, helped earn Sims the Southern Conference Player of the Week award on January 13.
Sims was 16-for-16 from the free throw stripe during those two games and was 21-of-34 shooting. For the year, Sims is 99 of 105 on free throws and his 94.3 percentage is second in the nation.
“I classify myself as a shooter,” Sims said. “Any space or any room I get, I feel like I can knock it down.”
His 44 points at Davidson’s Belk Arena broke the record there, previously held by Wildcats guard and all-everything player Stephen Curry. Curry had scored 41 points in that building.
“Donald Sims played like a guy that’s been playing in our gym the last three years. He was sensational,” said Davidson coach Bob McKillop in his post-game remarks.
“I don’t expect anyone to score 44 points,” ASU coach Buzz Peterson said. “When I found out he scored 44 points, I was shocked. I thought it was in the high-20s, but I didn’t realize how many times he went to the free throw line.”
Sims was 13-for-13 on free throws that night.
Sims has changed from a secondary scoring threat (13.7 points per game as a sophomore) to the main attraction. He is second in the Southern Conference in scoring and could be only the second Mountaineer, along with Billy Rose in 1992-93, to lead the league in scoring.
Coming out of high school, Sims knew his shooting abilities wouldn’t be enough to make it on the next level.
“I knew it would be hard to play the two-guard position at six feet, 150 pounds,” said Sims, who went to Fork Union (Va.) Military School for a year after high school to become a point guard. “I wanted to play Division I basketball and I knew that point guard was the way to do that.”
Being the primary ball handler wasn’t his job in high school, but now he has learned how to dish the ball, slip off screens for open looks and manage the game. It was something that Peterson noticed Sims was capable of doing when he watched him at prep school.
“He’s so smart and so savvy with the ball. His shot has such a nice touch to it,” Peterson said. “To me, he’s one of these kids who will come to me when it’s all said and done and say that he wants to coach. He’s always asking questions. He sees things very well on the court.”
Their on-the-court conversations generally revolve around what Sims is seeing and what will work. Peterson is quick to listen and implement things Sims suggests. During his monster night against Davidson, Peterson kept telling Sims to attack the basket and not settle on the outside shot. The point guard took the advice and bested his previous career high by nine points.
“I’d rather score,” Sims said. “That’s what I’ve been doing my whole basketball career. I feel more comfortable scoring. Teams are starting to clamp down on me a little more so it’s easier to hit the open man or find the big man in the middle. I’m always going to be a scorer. That’s what I do.”
Peterson said that if Sims can get some scoring help from others—no other Mountaineer averages double digits—it will make it easier for Sims. Teams will now key in on stopping Sims from scoring all those points and it will allow him to use his point guard skills more.
“When you score that many,” Peterson said, “people are highlighting your name on their assignment board.”
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