It didn’t take long for Maddie Sims to realize UMass was the right school for her.
As soon as she stepped foot in Amherst, she received those feelings that she was in the right place. And even though it took her a bit longer to actually pledge her commitment to the Minutewomen, there didn’t seem to be much doubt about the decision.
On Tuesday, Sims publicly announced her choice to transfer to UMass for her final season after playing three years at Siena.
“When I walked on campus and I talked to Coach (Tory) Verdi, I fell in love the minute I got there,” Sims said. “I was just really excited to be there and I left and I was like ‘I have to go there.’”
Sims is the third transfer to join the program since January, following Sam Breen (Penn State) in January and Deisree Oliver (Temple) last month. Oliver and Sims will sit out the upcoming season due to NCAA rules, and Breen will be eligible after the final day of the fall semester.
The decision to transfer wasn’t an easy one for Sims who said she has a lot of respect for her now former teammates and coach, but ultimately wanted to test herself against a higher level of competition in the Atlantic 10.
“I just needed a change of scenery,” Sims said. “I wanted to get on a little bit more competitive team and try to get to that next step and build that next step. UMass was a great opportunity to me in a great conference just trying to get to the next level and play in the NCAA Tournament or WNIT.”
Sims is a welcome addition to a UMass frontcourt that was hurting last season after Maggie Mulligan graduated in 2018. The Minutewomen’s top six scorers and top four rebounders were all guards, as the team lacked a consistent offensive threat at the forward position. Hailey Leidel, who led the Minutewomen in points and rebounds, averaged very similar stats to the 12.1 points and 7.8 rebounds Sims averaged last year at Siena.
“(Verdi is) kind of seeing me in that scoring post, similar to what I did at Siena,” Sims said. “He’s really excited to have me underneath the rim and finishing around the basket. I’m just excited to do whatever the team would need me to do.”
But where the 6-foot-2 Sims could have the biggest impact is being able to be a distributor and opening up space for the shooters around her. The New Jersey native led the Saints in assists two seasons ago and her vision on the floor would give UMass the ability to play inside-out more often with a guard-heavy lineup.
Sims brings the versatility of having played both forward and center at Siena, a characteristic she said that is the major strength in her game.
“I bring a really good versatile game of being able to play both (forward) and (center),” Sims said. “I pride myself on trying to rebound a lot while scoring as well, but also trying to find my teammates. I really pride myself on being a really good passer.”
Sims is going to take her redshirt year as an opportunity to work on her perimeter game and become the more complete threat she was in high school. She said she wants to be able to hit her 3-pointer more consistently than the 13-for-71 she shot at Siena. Sims also wants to improve her free-throw shooting, which dipped from 55.4 percent as a sophomore down to 46 percent last season.
The biggest challenge, though, will be the mental side of practicing for a full year for the team without getting the chance to play. It is the first time in her career that Sims is being forced to sit out, but she’s staying optimistic about the experience. She said she has talked to several of her friends who have transferred in the past to glean some advice about how to handle the NCAA’s mandated year in residence.
“I’m going to be a hard practice player for them for that one year and be able to help them as much as possible when I have to sit out,” Sims said. “I’ve talked to a couple of people — I have a couple of friends who have done it — and it’s going to have its ups and downs, but having a great team supporting around me and having a great coaching staff, that will be something that will help me great through it. Just me going in positive every day and just helping my team win as much as possible while staying on the sidelines will help me get through it quicker than going in any other way.”
Josh Walfish can be reached at jwalfish@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshWalfishDHG. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.