In between early morning workouts and a hectic school schedule, Lauren Sims still manages to devote time to preparing herself for life after basketball.
The senior on the Long Beach State women’s basketball team was selected as LBSU’s 2009-10 Rhodes Scholar candidate and is also one of 30 nominees for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS award. Not to mention she is shooting 8-for-12 on 3-point field goals through two games this season.
LBSU head coach Jody Wynn said her sharpshooting guard has an exemplary work ethic and shows as much commitment on the basketball court as she does in the classroom.
“She is in here shooting every morning at 6:30,” Wynn said. “She’s always the first one in the gym and the last one to leave. She doesn’t shortchange her basketball or academics.
“For her to be able to balance her academic course load and college athletics as well as she does is remarkable.”
The 5-foot-9 guard has made the task of balancing a demanding school and basketball schedule look effortless, as she has been able to maintain a 4.0 grade point average.
“I think it all comes down to time management,” Sims said. “I love my major, I love academics, and at the same time, I love basketball. So when I manage my time well and I put 100 percent effort into it, then I get my return.”
Sims is majoring in biology with an option in physiology and minor in chemistry. The Fullerton native said she chose her academic discipline because she has always liked the sciences and is fond of studying the body. She plans on attending medical school after graduating from The Beach.
On the court, Sims ranks third in the program’s history in 3-point field goals made with 106. In the season opener against Prairie View A&M, she lit it up from behind the arc, shooting 6-for-9 and finishing the game with 20 points.
In LBSU’s 75-70 loss to Loyola Marymount, Sims was 6-for-10 from the floor including 2-for-3 from 3-point range. She scored 14 points and also pulled down eight rebounds.
Sims is currently second on the team in scoring, averaging 17 points per game, while pulling down 5.5 rebounds per game, but individual accomplishments don’t mean much to the two-time Big West Conference all-academic selection.
“After three seasons of losing, all I really want is to win the Big West,” Sims said. “So my individual goal is to do what I need to do for this team so we can do that.”
In addition to her academic and athletic priorities, Sims also carves out time to offer her services to the local community.
She has volunteered with several organizations including St. Mary’s Medical Center Clinical Care Extender Hospital, Southern California Special Olympics and the Long Beach Marathon.
Senior forward Sahfiya Brown said she thinks her teammate is probably one of the hardest workers on the team.
“She’s not much of a talker, but she leads us through actions on the floor by making open shots and doing all the little things,” Brown said. “She goes all out on the court.”
Sims’ coach praises her for finding the right balance between prioritizing academics and athletics.
“She wants to be the best she can be at everything she does, and she deserves everything she gets,” Wynn said. “I wish she wasn’t a senior.”