Damario Sims is probably the closest to a student celebrity that you’ll find on the Chico State campus. The charismatic Wildcat basketball star has left an indelible mark on Chico State athletics history and in the memories of those who have followed his performances in CCAA and NCAA tournaments over the past four years.
But beyond the buzzer-beating shots and underneath his signature shoulder-length dreadlocks is perhaps the most defining aspect of Sims’ character: the obligation he feels to be a role model not only on the court but also on campus, in the community, and especially for young people from his hometown of West Oakland.
“I feel like when you are fortunate enough to be blessed with a talent, your obligation to your surroundings and your community is more than that field,” he says. “You have to reach out and touch people.”
Sims knows firsthand the impact that positive role models can have on a young person. During his freshman year at McClymonds High School, his mother died, and he also didn’t make the junior-varsity basketball team. His mother’s younger brother took him in and helped him make it through that hard time. "I was ready to give up on everything, you know, give up on life, but my uncle took me in, showed me the way, took care of me, and I would say saved my life," he said.
He made the high school basketball team the following year and found another mentor in his coach, Dwight Nathaniel. A UC Davis graduate, Nathaniel had also dealt with tragedy, losing several close family members in the span of two years.
“A lot of the people I grew up with are either dead or in jail or on their way to one of those two... I didn’t want to be one of those statistics."
Seeing his coach persevere and succeed gave the young Sims motivation. In Sims’ junior and senior years, the high school team made it to the state championships, losing the first time and winning the second. Coming off two successful seasons, Sims began to receive offers from several colleges, one of which was Chico State. After speaking to the Wildcat coaches, including head coach Greg Clink, Sims says Chico was an easy choice, and one he’s never regretted.
Despite the culture shock of coming from a predominately African American community to a predominately white one, Sims found his place in Chico among a family of players and coaches. When he first got here, he and his younger teammates saw older players getting 3.5-plus GPAs and decided that was a standard they would set for themselves.
Sims finished his time as a Wildcat ranked seventh in career points scored at 1,191. He also ranks seventh in assists with 272 and is the second player in school history to score more than 1,000 points and also notch more than 200 assists.
The criminal justice major is graduating with a 3.3 GPA and has jobs lined up in Oakland, as a case worker for a foster care agency and a basketball coach at his high school. Thoughts and discussions about playing basketball overseas were overridden by his desire to give back to the community he came from.
“I feel like if I go play three or four years in another country, it wouldn’t be a bad experience, it would be a great experience,” he said, “but I would be robbing the kids back in my high school of knowledge that maybe could save their life.
“A lot of the people I grew up with are either dead or in jail or on their way to one of those two, so I know how fortunate I am to be in this situation. I didn’t want to be one of those statistics. I wanted to come, and I wanted to excel and try to give West Oakland a good name. I feel accomplished.”
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment