Minutes, numbers rising for Georgetown center
Henry Sims came to Georgetown at the same time as Greg Monroe. But that’s the only part of his career that has been similar to his former classmate, who was Big East rookie of the year, then a first-team All-Big East selection and the seventh pick in the 2010 NBA Draft.
Sims, meanwhile, went from complementary freshman big man to increasingly peripheral contributor as a sophomore. It makes his junior resurgence for the surging Hoyas (8-0) all the more welcome.
“It is a natural progression in many ways, and I think that in many ways he has no choice,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “He has to get better. He has to grow up. This group needs that. He cares about his team, his teammates, and he understands that’s a responsibility he has.”
But the 6-foot-10 Sims, whose minutes off the bench have more than doubled since last year from 6.8 to 16.6 a game, maintains it wasn’t a foregone conclusion that he would find the same comfort level with the college game that he did at Mount St. Joseph in Baltimore.
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| No. 9 Georgetown at Temple |
| When » Thursday, 9 p.m. |
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“It definitely was a struggle at one point, when I just didn’t know where I fit in, what I should do, how I should do things,” said Sims, who has averaged 5.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists the last four games. “Was I a center? Was I a forward? What kind of skill set did I have? It hurt a lot just not to be able to play and have those questions. I didn’t really go to anybody. I kept them inside a lot.”
Sims credits his mother — “that’s my therapist,” he said — for helping him stop turning a critical eye on himself and start embracing the experiences of his first two seasons. At Georgetown, simply being a big man on the roster carries worth all by itself, even if Sims doesn’t have to be the next Monroe or Roy Hibbert.
“He’s playing hard, for one thing,” Thompson said. “He’s pursuing rebounds, and he’s keeping the ball alive. That’s what we need him to do.”
Just as Thompson coaches games on feel, the ultimate sign of his players’ growth is a natural comfort on the floor.
“I feel I’ve gained a little bit more of his trust than I have in the past, and he’s been more confident putting me out there, knowing what he’ll get from me,” Sims said. “That’s just a credit to how I’ve been playing lately. I’ve been playing with no worries, trying not to stress too many things, too many turnovers, what have you. I’ve just been trying to play with a free spirit.”
