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DeShawn Sims is one of the most requested players at You Meet the Athlete.
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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
