ASU’s SoCon title attempt ends
Appalachian State’s season most likely ended today with a loss to defending champion Wofford in the Southern Conference Tournament.
It was a season that marked the beginning of a head-coaching career for Jason Capel, and the end of a collegiate career for prolific Donald Sims.
Sims, the Mountaineers’ all-time leading scorer with 2,185 points, walked off the court at McKenzie Arena without a SoCon title but with a stellar career.
“It’s been a blessing,” Sims said. “The guys I played with, the coaches I played for, you couldn’t ask for anything more.”
The Mountaineers can hope to keep playing – and did express interest in one of the off-brand post-season tournaments in the event they didn’t win the SoCon – but it doesn’t appear likely.
Capel, in his first season as a head coach, did an admirable job getting the Mountaineers to 16-15. That feat required seven wins in eight games in February.
The Mountaineers were expected to contend for this year’s SoCon title with key returnees from last season’s runner-up team and the addition of Omar Carter, but were dealt a blow when big center Ike Butts injured a knee and wound up red-shirting.
Capel, who was promoted to head coach after one season as an assistant to replace Buzz Peterson, who left for a more lucrative job at UNC Wilmington, had to endure challenges with suspensions, injuries and a road-heavy schedule for much of the season.
“We were dealt some tough hands this year, but we stuck together, we persevered,” Capel said. “Any adversity that came out way we didn’t drop our heads. We offered no excuses. We just kept plugging away and figured out a way to make things happen, to make things work.
“We left some wins off the board we should have had, but we had to piece this team together at times and we did that. We fought and hung in there. And we’ll get better.”
The Mountaineers will lose Sims, and veteran guard Jeremi Booth. But Butts is expected back next season, and point guard G.J. Vilarino, who sat out this season after playing a year at Gonzaga is among the additions that will join a group of returning players that includes Carter and five other players who were regular parts of the rotation.