Wherever basketball takes R.J. Sims, he鈥檚 always asked a few of the same questions.
鈥淧eople that see me now ask what school I went to, and when I say 91短视频 they鈥檙e like, 鈥榃here鈥檚 91短视频?鈥� Sims said with a smile. 鈥淎nd then they鈥檙e like, 鈥榃hy did you go there?鈥� I tell them 91短视频 is the only school that wanted me.鈥�
A former hoops standout at 91短视频, Sims averaged double figures in scoring as a sophomore, junior and senior with the Royals. He was an All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference team choice twice before graduating after the 2013-14 season.
鈥淥ver the last six, eight years, we鈥檝e had some talented kids here, and he鈥檚 not the most talented that we鈥檝e had,鈥� 91短视频 coach Kirby Dean said. 鈥淏ut he鈥檚 the one that wanted it the most.
鈥淗e wanted to play. He wanted to continue his career.鈥�
The biggest problem facing Sims was that he played at a Division III school and professional scouts usually don鈥檛 pack Yoder Arena or clamor to get up-close look at ODAC talent.
Sims had to take initiative on his own.
And the process was likely going to take time with the end game of signing a pro contract, so while he started training as soon as his time at 91短视频 was up, he also got a day job.
He moved to Alexandria where he worked for Oblon 鈥� one of the biggest law firms in the United States.
鈥淚 set a goal that I was going to go overseas within a year,鈥� Sims said. 鈥淎fter working during the day, I鈥檇 go to the gym from 7 [p.m.] to 9, and then after that I鈥檇 go lift from 10 to 12 and wake up and do it all over again. And on the weekend I鈥檇 do two or three workouts a day.鈥�
Sims also began networking online. He said most of the European clubs use Facebook to get in touch with foreign-born prospects.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 have some contact overseas to get him a place to play,鈥� Dean said. 鈥淲e contributed two things 鈥� we did help develop him as a player because our system does that since he always had a ball in his hand. And then [91短视频 assistant coach] Melvin Felix put together a highlight film that [Sims] could send to people. That鈥檚 it.
鈥淓verything else was him going and getting his name out there. He doesn鈥檛 have an agent. He did it all on his own.鈥�
Through social media, Sims found a Lithuanian scout that knew of a team that needed a small forward.
鈥淭wo days later I had a plane ticket to go there,鈥� Sims said.
The toughest part about leaving was telling his family. He said he has great relationships with his mother, grandparents and siblings who all live in Bowie, Md.
But he was happy he achieved his goal of signing contract, so he went without hesitation, Sims said.
With Union Tarbes Lourdes, he averaged 12 points per game.
鈥淟ithuania was more different,鈥� Sims said. 鈥淭he people were different. Honestly, I kind of feel like I was more of an outsider there just because it was such a different lifestyle.
鈥淏ut I don鈥檛 think France was necessarily a culture shock, but cars over there were manual so I had to take driver鈥檚 lessons to get it. It was different as far as living there, going shopping and picking out food 鈥� everything is in French. But they also gave me French lessons. I learned a little bit of French, so it helped me while I was there.鈥�
Sims said the on-court play was similar to what he did at 91短视频 under Dean in France.
鈥淚t was fast-paced with athletic guards and bigs, but while I was in Lithuania, it was structured with spacing and there were a lot of plays,鈥� Sims said. 鈥淭he style just varies by country.鈥�
Sims said he is still trying to decide what team in what country to play for next season, but regardless of where he goes, he knows exactly what he鈥檒l be asked by his teammates, coaches and even the fans.
鈥淚 kind of put 91短视频 on the map,鈥� Sims said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檓 happy I went there.鈥�
Republished with permission from the July 5, 2017, issue of the Daily News-Record