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Former Eminence, new Roncalli coach Jason Sims has had wild ride to the top

devin voss, the reporter times
·4 min read
Roncalli High School head coach Jason Sims reacts to the action on the court during the second half of a Marion County Girls’ Basketball Championship game, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, at Ben Davis High School. North Central High School won, 72-29.
Roncalli High School head coach Jason Sims reacts to the action on the court during the second half of a Marion County Girls’ Basketball Championship game, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, at Ben Davis High School. North Central High School won, 72-29.

Ever since Jason Sims can remember, the game of basketball has been good to him.

It all started during his high school days at Eminence. The guard did just about everything for the Eels, averaging 17.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists as a senior in 1996. The success would eventually land him a roster spot at Vincennes University, where he worked hard to earn "walk on" status as a junior.

Playing for the Trailblazers, Sims had the fortunate circumstance of playing with a future four-time NBA All-Star and NBA champion Shawn Marion, who went on to be the ninth pick in the NBA draft following two seasons at Vincennes and one at UNLV.

Sims' first defensive assignment at the collegiate level? 1999-2000 NBA rookie of the year and three-time All-Star Steve Francis. Francis notably dropped a quadruple-double against the Trailblazers for Allegany College of Maryland.

"It was amazing, he's (Marion) the best player I've ever seen," Sims said. "I like to tell the story too, the first guy I ever guarded in college was Steve Francis. That was an amazing experience for me. Shawn's a great person. I still talk to him to this day."

Roncalli High School head coach Jason Sims watches the action on the court during the first half of an IHSAA Girls’ Sectional semi-final basketball game against Ben Davis High School, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, at Perry Meridian High School.
Roncalli High School head coach Jason Sims watches the action on the court during the first half of an IHSAA Girls’ Sectional semi-final basketball game against Ben Davis High School, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, at Perry Meridian High School.

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Following graduation at Vincennes and later Marian University, Sims landed a job at Eminence, becoming the Eels' head girls' basketball coach and assistant athletic director. In three seasons coaching, from 2004-07, Eminence recorded a 53-12 record.

Now, 15 years after guiding the Eels, Sims is set to return to the varsity girls' basketball coaching scene after being selected as Roncalli's new head coach in March. He earned the spot after guiding the Royals to a 12-10 record (12-13 overall) as an interim last season.

"Basketball has been so good to me in my life, I feel the obligation to give back to other people," he said. "I feel that it's a great opportunity to give back and that's why I did it."

Sims also serves the role of assistant athletic director at the school, a position he took in 2016, having fulfilled the same role at Cardinal Ritter beforehand. Helping direct a Class 4A school, over previous Class A and 2A schools, is certainly different.

Roncalli High School junior Sydney Horton (23) looks at the scoreboard with less than a minute left to play during the second half of an IHSAA Girls’ Sectional semi-final basketball game against Ben Davis High School, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, at Perry Meridian High School. Ben Davis won, 53-41.
Roncalli High School junior Sydney Horton (23) looks at the scoreboard with less than a minute left to play during the second half of an IHSAA Girls’ Sectional semi-final basketball game against Ben Davis High School, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, at Perry Meridian High School. Ben Davis won, 53-41.

More: Eminence hires former Eastern Greene coach Greg Burton to lead girls' basketball program

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"Being the assistant athletic director at Roncalli, it's just amazing how many more sports there are and how busy you are," Sims said. "There's never a night off, but it's a passion of mine and what I enjoy doing."

Though not a varsity girls basketball coach, Sims never left the coaching game after departing from Eminence to be North Putnam's athletic director. He's coached everything from baseball to football to cross country.

All the experiences have helped him shape new perspectives and discover more effective ways to coach, but he feels there's plenty more to learn.

"It's amazing how much you learn from when you get started to now," Sims said. "Things that you're so much better at as a coach. The details, running practices, the culture and environment. I've still got a lot to learn and keep working at it."

Roncalli High School sophomore Claire Lindsey (11) brings the ball up court against the defense of Ben Davis High School junior Kirsten Clark (12) during the second half of an IHSAA Girls’ Sectional semi-final basketball game, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, at Perry Meridian High School. Ben Davis won, 53-41.
Roncalli High School sophomore Claire Lindsey (11) brings the ball up court against the defense of Ben Davis High School junior Kirsten Clark (12) during the second half of an IHSAA Girls’ Sectional semi-final basketball game, Friday, Feb. 4, 2022, at Perry Meridian High School. Ben Davis won, 53-41.

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Heading into the new season, Sims is excited for what his Royals' have to offer. Two players, Sydney Horton and Claire Lindsey, both averaged over 10 points a game and are set to make a return this season.

"We've had an amazing summer, we get two really good guards back this year," Sims said. "I think we're going to be a handful for a lot of people. We were very young last year, we dealt with some injuries. We've won 12 games this summer, won the Shelbyville league. We're very pleased with where we're at and what we're doing."

Contact reporter Devin Voss at dvoss@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @DevinVoss23.

This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Former Eminence, new Roncalli coach Jason Sims has had wild ride to the top