Even after the Indiana Pacers selected Roy Hibbert with the 17th pick in the 2008 NBA Draft, Georgetown fans were not panicking about their prospects in the upcoming seasons. After all, Big Man U got commitments from two of the best big men in the country—the 2012 class boasted All-American stud Greg Monroe, and 32nd-in-the-country Henry Sims only sweetened the deal.
But, two years down the line, with Monroe strolling to the NBA Draft podium to greet Commissioner David Stern, Sims loomed as perhaps the biggest disappointment in John Thompson III’s tenure on the Hilltop.
Fast forward a little more, to one year after the yeoman work of center Julian Vaughn sustained the Hoyas in yet another disappointing season. Sims had once again failed to even approach expectations. His junior year, it seemed, produced the perfect opportunity for him to shine. But he didn’t, and he knew it.
“The first three years, I guess you could say it was a learning experience – it was rough, especially those first two,” the Baltimore native said at the beginning of the season. “But I think now I’ve figured it out. I’m working harder than I ever have in my basketball life.”
This past summer included a boot camp from then-unemployed NBA stars Hibbert, Monroe, and Jeff Green. He called it a “brutal summer” because of the beating he took, but feels he greatly benefited from the tough competition. It seems that in just three months, after three full years, Sims finally put it all together.
Suddenly, the awkward last-man-off-the-bench became the centerpiece of opposing teams’ gameplans. In Marquette’s brutal collapse against the Hoyas in January, Golden Eagles head coach Buzz Williams could not stop raving about Sims’ development.
“Obviously, he’s put in a lot of time and effort in becoming the player he was,” Williams said. “Not so much statistically, that’s obvious in his growth and improvement, but more so his ability to have the offense run through him similar to what it was when everything was going through Greg Monroe.”
This season alone, Hoya fans have witnessed elements of all Thompson III’s marquee players in Sims. Elements of Hibbert’s post game, developed after years of being labeled a “project,” pose a striking similarity to Sims’ inside game this year. At the top of the key, the Hoyas haven’t had a better orchestrator for the Princeton offense since Monroe’s days. Greatest of all, though, is Sims’ leadership ability, displayed mainly by his defensive work and communication, à la Green.
Granted, the 2011-2012 Hoyas would not be near the top of the college basketball world today without the contributions of guys like Jason Clark, Otto Porter, and Hollis Thompson. But, unlike last year, they can win in many different ways – a credit attributed mainly to Sims’ versatility.
Ideally, Thompson would like to have an elite passing big man running the show on offense. Last season, he did a masterful job changing his style to suit the team’s strengths, which worked with great success until Chris Wright’s tragic hand injury derailed the season.
This season, though, Sims allowed his coach to return to his reliable ways, perhaps more effectively than Monroe because of the personnel around him. After dismantling Notre Dame on his Senior Night, Sims earned praise from yet another opponent for that passing, this time from Notre Dame’s Mike Brey.
“Sims is so good with the ball,” the coach said. “They play off him. That’s a unique team that he’s the lead assist guy. I’ve really never seen anything like that. They really play well off him.”
Thompson has often said that his big man had a little too much fun over his first three years in college. Sims never struggled from a lack of talent, just one of dedication. His turnaround is reflected by his maturity, one far beyond his years and reflective of his coach. All of his words reflect his coach’s philosophies, and trickle down to the rest of the Hoyas—don’t look ahead, stay within the system, and rely on your teammates.
While toeing the company line, Sims also made his expectations for this season known at the beginning of the year. He wanted to leave his mark on Georgetown. Once he graduated, people should remember the name Henry Sims and the contributions his Hoyas made to the Georgetown basketball legacy.
“Going into the season, I was expected not to do anything, just be another guy on the court,” he said. “I’ve tried my best to prove that wrong.”
With a turnaround for the ages, Sims didn’t just deter a few doubters. Rather, he completely flipped the script for two legacies—his own, and that of the 2012 Hoyas.
