Stopping Sims key for UTC

Donald Sims is a shining star or the Southern Conference.

The Appalachian State guard has been shimmering for a couple years -- especially against the Mocs -- but he's improved so much under the instruction of first-year coach Jeff Capel that he may be one of the best guards in the not just the SoCon, but the nation.

"If he's not one of the best guards in the country, I don't know who is," Mocs coach John Shulman said. "He came to Appalachian as a shooter, then he got better, and last year even better. As a basketball guy, I respect how he's improved."

Sims and the Mountaineers will face the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga tonight at 7 in McKenzie Arena in the first conference game for both teams.

"Chattanooga is a [North] division opponent so this game is crucial, and anytime you win against them, it's a big win," Sims said. "This is a game that will carry over until the end of the season."

Sims is having a stellar season. He's the third-leading scorer in the country, heading into Wednesday's games, with an average of 26.5 points per game.

Additionally, he's shooting 44.8 percent from the floor, 39 percent from behind the arc, and leads the nation is free-throw percentage among players who average at least six free shots a game.

"I'm a lot more aggressive than last year," Sims said on the bus ride to Chattanooga. "I got in a groove toward the end of last year and really worked a lot, worked hard, in the offseason."

Some of his stats are staggering. Sims led the nation in 3-pointers made last year with 123 and also led the country -- the NBA and all divisions of the NCAA and NAIA -- in free-throw percentage. He hit 95.1 percent of his 15-footers which was better than Steve Nash.

Sims, now a senior and at 6-foot-1 based on his haircut, has scored 40 points at Mississippi State and 27 points at Vanderbilt in ASU's last game.

And he loves playing the Mocs (2-5, 0-0 SoCon). Sims has averaged 24.3 points in six games against UTC including a 35-point night with nine 3-pointers as a sophomore.

"I think it's by chance that I've had good games against them in the past," Sims said. "They do a lot of double-teaming on ball-screens, and they're physical, but it's nothing I haven't seen."

Slowing Sims will be important for the Mocs to win their first SoCon game of the season.

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"I don't think he's going to go scoreless," Shulman said. "He dominated Mississippi State and he dominated Vanderbilt."

UTC junior guard Ricky Taylor has played against Sims for two seasons. On Wednesday, Taylor looked at the ASU scouting report and wanted to add more stars next to Sims' name indicating a shooter.

"An unlimited number of stars," Taylor said. "I remember him scoring a whole lot of points and he gives his team hope. But if we can take that hope away, we'll have a better shot to win."

Comparing Sims to former Davidson guard and NBA stud Stephen Curry is silly based on skills. But when it comes to impacting and influencing the outcome of a game, Curry and Sims are similar.

"In our league, Sims is doing as much damage as Curry did," Shulman said. "It's a joke what he did at Tulsa, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.

"He's one of those unique guys."

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