Mount Laurel, New Jersey, fifth-year forward picks up first career honor after leading Skyhawks to first Division I win in program history
NEC Men's Basketball Weekly Report
EASTON, Mass. (November 14, 2022) – Stonehill College fifth-year forward Andrew Sims was named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Week in men's basketball for the opening week of the 2022-23 season, the league announced this afternoon.
Sims, who earns the first weekly Conference award of his career, led Stonehill with 19.0 points per game on 64.7-percent shooting (22-for-34), converting 90.9% (10-11) of his free-throws to go with 4.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and a blocked shot in 33.0 minutes per game over the Skyhawks first three games of the season last week. In addition to his NEC Player of the Week award, Sims was named to the Conference's Prime Performer List, along with fellow fifth-year Isaiah Burnett.
Sims opened the season by scoring a team-high 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting with a rebound, assist and steal at UConn on Monday. He followed that up by scoring 18 of his season-high 24 points against Quinnipiac University on Thursday in the second half, shooting 8-for-13 from the floor and 8-of-9 at the free-throw line, to go with four rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. He capped the week with a second-straight 20-point performance in Saturday's 82-77 triumph over Army West Point for the first Division I win in program history, totaling a game-high 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting, with eight rebounds, two blocked shots an assist and steal.
Sims, who has started one of Stonehill's three games this season, ranks second among NEC scoring and field goal percentage leaders, while ranking fourth in free-throw percentage and tenth in blocked shots per game. The third team All-Northeast-10 Conference selection last season has started 36 of the 76 games he has played over his Stonehill career, totaling 772 points, 387 rebounds, 106 assists and 54 blocked shots. He is a 47.7-percent shooter over the course of his career, converting 70.8% of his free-throws.
Sims has reached double-figures in scoring in nine-straight games dating back to last season, with 32 total for his career, including ten 20-point outings and six double-doubles. He scored a career-high 29 points at Merrimack College on February 20, 2019, totaling a career-best 12 rebounds on two occasions.
Burnett averaged 14.3 points on 57.7-percent shooting (15-for-26) with 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game for Stonehill over its three games last week. He netted a season-high 19 points on 6-10 FG, in the Skyhawks first DI win at Army on Saturday, adding three rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Stonehill (1-2, 0-0 NEC) is back in action tomorrow evening when it visits Providence College at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in a game that will be broadcast live on FS2. The Skyhawks will close the week out with its first of three games at the Tom Konchalski Classic, hosted by Fordham University, against College of the Holy Cross on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Stonehill returns home on Wednesday, November 30, when it hosts Eastern Nazarene College at Merkert Gymnasium at 7 p.m.
For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
