Pursuing his dream through good times and bad, Brigham Young-Hawaii basketball player Nathan Sims has achieved more than even he thought possible.

“;To get a chance to play for a really good team on the Division II level, I could not have asked for anything more,”; said Sims. “;My dream was to get a scholarship and play in college. I never thought I'd be in this position.”;

Last season, the 6-foot-3 guard averaged 8.4 points and 2.6 rebounds while playing just under 15 minutes per game. This year, Sims averages 9.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 19.7 minutes after seeing just 11 minutes in the season opener due to foul trouble.

More is expected from Sims, a senior, who is one of three team captains along with Trenson Akana and Jermaine Odjegba.

“;We draw a lot of energy from him,”; Akana said. “;He gets up and down the court really well and brings a lot of energy to the whole team and it radiates.”;

After falling in the quarterfinals of last season's NCAA Division II basketball tournament, BYUH returns as this year's preseason favorite to win the Pacific West Conference title. In a season of high expectations, Sims is being counted on to lead the way.

“;This may be the best team we've ever had,”; said BYUH's Ken Wagner, the winningest coach in school history entering his 18th season. “;That's hard to say because we've had some great teams in the final four. We've had teams that I thought were good enough to win the national championship.”;

Wagner said Sims' hard work, dedication and athleticism are important building blocks toward this season's success.

“;The young players look to that and are not going to be lazy,”; said Wagner. “;He's definitely athletic and fun to watch in transition. He's a crowd favorite because when he's on the court he makes things happen. He's been a pleasure to have.”;

Sims played football, basketball and baseball and ran track at Desert Hot Springs High School in Palm Springs, Calif. At the end of Sims' junior year, an injury caused him to miss summer workouts for football. As a result, Sims became too out of shape to play football and chose to forego every sport except for basketball his senior season in order to focus on earning a scholarship.

“;If I stuck with it I could have played football professionally,”; Sims said.

As a senior, Sims played point guard on offense and center on defense. Sims said he averaged 27 points per game, third best in California.

Sims said he was offered scholarships to Colorado State-Pueblo and Mississippi State. However, a few weeks before both recruiting trips, Sims broke his arm playing pick-up basketball. Sims said both schools withdrew their scholarship offers.

He went on to play at College of the Desert Junior College (Calif.) where he led the Foothill Conference in scoring (18.8) and rebounding (10.2) as a sophomore. During his two years in junior college, Sims grew 3 inches and went from 160 pounds to 210.

BYUH first heard about Sims in the spring of 2007 through former Seasider All-American and two-time PacWest MVP Alexus Foyle. However, a scholarship was not immediately available.

“;To be honest, we weren't interested,”; Wagner said. “;We had finished recruiting. Then one of the players we recruited couldn't come and we ended up recruiting him.”;

The rest is history.

  “;(Coach Wagner) took a huge chance on me not really knowing much about me before I got here,”; Sims said. “;They've given me an opportunity that I will be indebted for and grateful for the rest of my life.”;

For the Seasiders, the risk has been worth it. Sims has given the team leadership, confidence and athleticism that will help the Seasiders achieve their goals.

“;We want to push it all the way to the championship,”; Sims said. “;As a team we know that this is the year it has to happen. We need to set a goal to win the conference first.”;