Tavio

How do you think the season went this year? Good. How do you think the season went?

Coach Sims

It went good. I mean, you know, it was my first year, so, like, I didn't really know what I was walking into. You know, I know last year, I think, you know, the team went six and seven.

So, you know, I wanted to really make sure we improve that record and just, like, you know, build a culture, build a foundation for the next years to come. So, you know, we turned around. I think we ended up going 11 and finished 11 and 3, 11 and 4.

I don't know what the final record was, but 11 and 4, yeah. So, I mean, we lost in the finals, which was disappointing, but overall, it was a good season. And, you know, we got a lot better from the first day of practice, from the last day of the games.

Like, it was night and day for the girls, like, in terms of as a team, we was better individually. Skilled, we was better. So I was very pleased with how the season went.

Tavio

All right. And how do you think you could do better next year?

Coach Sims

Well, we're just going to just keep working. I mean, we're a very young team. We only have one senior.

I believe we only have one junior. So, I mean, the rest of the girls are sophomores and freshmen and eighth graders and seventh graders. So I know hopefully we have some girls applying that are pretty good.

Hopefully they get in, but just keep working and keep building and keep outworking all the other teams and getting better. And, you know, that's the only way I know.

Tavio

All right. And this stems into what you just said. Considering the team is quite young, how do you feel about the future of the team?

Coach Sims

I'm very hopeful about the future. I think we got a lot of young players that, you know, show some strides. I got a lot better this year.

You know, Alexa showed a lot of growth this year. Yasmin showed a lot of growth. A lot of girls.

Sophia was really played really well. So Maya as well. And Lala, too.

So we have a lot of girls. We have a building block for it to get better and to build on for next year. And, you know, we're just going to keep working.

Like I said, just keep working. Keep getting in the gym, getting better and better. And hopefully, you know, it shows next year.

I know one of the teams in class D, they're ranked number three in the tournament this year. And we beat them by three. So, I mean, the future is definitely bright.

Tavio

And this being your first season coaching rumor, what challenges did you face taking on this new role?

Coach Sims

Just really like I'm kind of a hard coach. I demand. I'm very demanding.

I'm on it, you know, and I think the girls are really used to that in the beginning. So just the main challenge this year was just the girls getting comfortable with me, comfortable with my coaching style and just, you know, in our playing style, because, you know, I like to play really, really fast. A lot of coaches like to play that way.

And, you know, just getting used to that. So I think now that the girls kind of kind of went through this year, they'll be prepared for next year from the start, from the from the first day.

Tavio

How has your experience in the NBA and other professions helped you take this team to new heights?

Coach Sims

Well, obviously, you know, just just being around, just being in that in that environment, like you learn a lot. Like I've been taught, you know, I've been coached by Tommy Amaker, who is one of the best coaches, college coaches in America. You know, when I was in the G League, I was coached by Coach Nurse, which is now he's in the NBA, one of the best NBA coaches.

So, like, you know, I went overseas to some of the top teams and in those countries, in Russia, China, Korea, Belgium, everywhere. So just like picking the brains of those coaches and seeing how they do things and not taking everything from one coach, but maybe taking one thing from one coach and another thing that I like from another coach and all that stuff. It just helped me like kind of build what type of structure, what type of culture I want for my team and what type of coach I want to be.

So, you know, just dealing with that, seeing how, you know, like how a program is supposed to run in college and stuff like that. I kind of want to make it similar at Brimmer.

Tavio

And this stems into what you said at the beginning of our conversation. The team went from having a record of six wins and seven losses last year. This year, you were able to finish with a record of 11 wins and four losses, which is the highest record this team has had since the 2012-2013 season where the team won NEPSAC.

What methods did you use to shape this team into a title contender?

Coach Sims

My main thing is getting in shape. I feel like if you're in the best shape, if you're in the best shape team, if you can outrun teams and get them tired and be able to execute while you're tired and hit shots while you're tired, then that gives you a leg up. So my first thing is always being in the best shape.

And then next is playing the best defense. And I think we held a lot of teams to, you know, low scoring games and everything. So there's not a lot.

There's some things you can't control in basketball, like if shots are going in and all that stuff. But one thing you can't control is how in shape you are and the effort you give on defense. So I just tried to concentrate on the things that we can control and, you know, no matter what level of skill we have.

So being in shape and playing defense was the key.

Tavio

All right. And that's all the questions I have. Thank you.

Thanks for joining me. All right. All right.

No problem. All right. Thank you.