Tribute to Odyssey: Sims Takes Her Place Among Best
1/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
Nearly six years after coming to Baylor as a highly touted freshman that didn't always get along with her coach, Odyssey Sims joined an elite group when the three-time All-American guard had her jersey retired at halftime of Sunday's game against Oklahoma.
"Just being able to come back and Coach (Kim) Mulkey giving me the opportunity to even have this time means a lot," said Sims, who ranks third all-time in scoring (2,533) and second in assists (641) in the history of the Baylor program. "It hasn't hit me yet. I'm still overwhelmed just as far as getting my jersey retired. High school is high school, but college is one more step up. It's on a bigger stage. So, I can't even describe how I feel right now."
The 23-year-old Sims becomes just the fifth Lady Bear player to have her jersey retired, joining Suzie Snider-Eppers (1973-77), Sheila Lambert (2000-02), Sophia Young (2002-06) and Melissa Jones (2007-11).
"I'm a big believer that this university should retire jerseys and not just the program," Mulkey said. "You don't see a jersey in any arena here, and I've never understood why not. . . . They've invested a lot in this university, and there is only a handful of them that should have their jersey retired.
"To see Odyssey out there do what she did for this school and for this program and to finally finish her degree, it just makes you proud. And it makes you proud that she's proud of Baylor. So many athletes leave and they've got a chip on their shoulder and they're mad at the coach, or they didn't have a good experience. When the truth is 20 years from now, they'll go `God, those were the best years of my life.' And Odyssey gets it."
After earning All-America and National High School Player of the Year honors at Irving (Texas) MacArthur, Sims admits that she "didn't really get along" with Mulkey during her first two years at Baylor despite winning the 2012 national championship.
"It took some time, but we slowly understood each other and met each other in the middle," Sims said. "Now, our relationship is good enough to where I can call or text her with anything I need. And she will always respond. Who wouldn't want that? Playing under a coach for four years, and then being able to talk to her afterward, that's what it's all about. It's not just playing for those four years."
Taking over the starting point guard spot 10 games into her freshman season, Sims averaged 13.1 points and 3.1 assists in earning Big 12 and National Freshman of the Year honors.
As a sophomore, she averaged 14.9 points, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals per game for the 40-0 national championship squad. Sims was a finalist for the Wooden Award and Wade Trophy and was tabbed an All-American by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association of America.
Despite a disappointing loss in the Sweet 16 in 2013, Sims was a consensus All-American and finalist for several national player of the year awards, averaging 12.9 points, 5.8 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.5 rebounds. In that loss to Louisville, she poured in 29 points and brought the Lady Bears back from a 19-point deficit only to lose by one.
"She hated to lose, that's the best thing I can say about Odyssey," Mulkey said. "We all know her talent and her defense, what she did hawking the ball. But that kid, internally, hated to lose more than any kid I've coached. And if you hate to lose, you're going to win a lot of basketball games."
Taking a younger team on her shoulders as a senior, Sims averaged 28.5 points in leading the Lady Bears to their fourth consecutive Big 12 regular-season and tournament championships and back to the Elite Eight. A repeat All-American who also won the Wade Trophy, Sims set Baylor and Big 12 single-season scoring records with 1,062 points, the second-most in Division I history.
"Odyssey was a fantastic competitor here," said OU head coach Sherri Coale. "I had the opportunity to coach her in the World University Games. She made basket after basket for me, and it was fun to have her on my side for a little bit. She had a remarkable career here and epitomizes the toughness of Baylor basketball."
Taken by the Tulsa Shock with the second overall pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft, Sims averaged 16.7 points and 4.2 assists and was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team. Battling through a knee injury, she averaged 16.4 points and 4.0 assists and led Tulsa to its first WNBA playoff appearance in 2015. Following the season, the franchise was moved to Texas, renamed the Dallas Wings and starting this year will play at UT-Arlington's 7,000-seat Campus Park Center in Arlington.
"To be back at home is always great, of course, playing in front of friends and family," said Sims, who underwent microfracture surgery in the offseason to repair the damage in her knee. "Now, everyone can get an opportunity to actually come watch me play. I only live 20 minutes from where we'll be playing, so I'm really looking forward to the season."
Watching from a courtside seat as the fourth-ranked Lady Bears defeated OU, 78-68, on Sunday, Sims said, "I get chills just sitting on the sidelines watching them."
"Anytime you can play in front of a crowd that loves to watch you play, whether you're up by 30 or down by 30, it's awesome," she said. "Baylor has always had a tremendous crowd, and I'm stunned at how many people love women's basketball."
As a point guard herself, Sims admires what her former backcourt mate, Niya Johnson, is doing in leading this year's team. Johnson recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists in Sunday's game, has already broken Sims' career assists records and ranks first nationally this season with 10.6 assists per game.
"Her court vision, I think she has X-rays in her eyes or something," Sims said. "She sees things that most point guards don't see. You see it in the league and high school and college, but not that kind of vision . . . it's one of a kind."
Fulfilling a requirement that Mulkey stipulated, Sims finished her undergrad degree in August 2014. "When I got my degree, I was finally saying, `I'm done with school,''' Sims said. "That was really first and foremost. Coach Mulkey stressed that, and she still does with all her players: `Make sure you get your degree.' She didn't really mention (the jersey retirement) to me, just kind of brushed over it, but we finally got the opportunity to get it done, and here I am today."
