Nov. 5, 2009

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Senior forward DeShawn Sims (Detroit, Mich./Pershing) of the University of Michigan men's basketball team was selected as a candidate for the 2009-10 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence -- classroom, character, community and competition.

Last season, Sims showed continual improvement, averaging a career-best 15.4 points and career-best 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting a career-best 50.5 percent from the field. He was named an All-Big Ten second teamer by the Big Ten media and a third-team selection by the Big Ten coaches, and he became the 23rd U-M junior and the 44th Wolverine to score 1,000 career points with his first 500-plus point season (540). Sims led U-M with 30 games scoring in double figures and had a career-best 29 points against Purdue on Feb. 26. He had five double-doubles, including posting the first 20/20 game in 31 years with exactly 20 points and 20 rebounds against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 22, 2008.

In addition to his work on the hardwood, Sims is an active member of the community. He, along with the other Wolverines, makes trips to Motts Children's Hospital throughout the year to visit and meet hospitalized children. Sims is also a leader of U-M's "Little Dribblers" program, allowing children the opportunity to meet the players and learn valuable basketball skills. He serves as a camp counselor for the youngest children at camps and is always a favorite at U-Meet the Athlete, an opportunity for the community to meet various members of Michigan's athletic teams.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

Lowe's, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winner for men's basketball at the 2010 NCAA Men's Final Four in Indianapolis, Ind., in April and for women's basketball at the 2010 NCAA Women's Final Four® in San Antonio, Texas, in April.

The two lists of 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists each midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of classroom, character, community and competition.

2009-10 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award
Men's Basketball Candidates

Name                  Position       School
Matt Bouldin          Guard          Gonzaga
Da'Sean Butler        Forward        West Virginia
Devan Downey          Guard          South Carolina
Dodie Dunson          Guard          Bradley
Jason Duty            Guard          Duquesne
Patrick Foley         Guard          Columbia
Marcus Ginyard        Guard          North Carolina
Marquis Hall          Guard          Lehigh
Luke Harangody        Forward        Notre Dame
Damion James          Forward        Texas
Adam Koch             Forward        Northern Iowa
David Kool            Guard          Western Michigan
Chris Kramer          Guard          Purdue
Roman Martinez        Forward        New Mexico
Michael McConathy     Guard          Northwestern State
Yves Mekongo          Forward        La Salle
Raymar Morgan         Forward        Michigan State
Matthew Mullery       Forward        Brown
Hamady Ndiaye         Center         Rutgers
Dexter Pittman        Center         Texas
Jared Quayle          Guard          Utah State
Jerome Randle         Guard          California
Scottie Reynolds      Guard          Villanova
Nate Rohnert          Guard          Denver
Jon Scheyer           Guard          Duke
DeShawn Sims          Forward        Michigan
Tyler Smith           Guard          Tennessee
J.T. Tiller           Guard          Missouri
Ben Uzoh              Guard          Tulsa
Josh Young            Guard          Drake

Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423