Simsanity is heading to the Big Apple, as former Hoya center Henry Sims signed a deal with the New York Knicks today. The Knicks, who were already at 15 roster spots, are presumably bringing Sims onto their training camp roster, where he will have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot.

Sims, who had a well-chronicled rise from a pedestrian three-year bench player to a key cog in the Hoyas’ upstart 2011-2012 season, found himself on second round draft boards all the way through draft day this year. Teams ultimately veered toward the ‘draft-and-stash’ route in the latter half of the draft, opting to select the rights to high-potential European prospects in the hope that they’ll develop over time. Ultimately, this left the Baltimore native in a similar predicament to his two teammates, Jason Clark and Hollis Thompson, who also went undrafted.

Thompson was the first of the trio to find a home, as the reigning Western Conference champion Oklahoma City Thunder signed him to a partially-guaranteed three year deal. Clark, meanwhile signed with Belgian club Okapi Aalstar.

Thompson and Clark had their situations settled a couple of months ago, but Sims remained in limbo until today. The center played with the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls during the Summer League, hoping to parlay the exposure into an NBA contract – it just took a little longer than he anticipated.

Despite the surprise signing, the Knicks have been looking at Sims for quite some time now, with rumored interest leading up to the NBA Draft and assistant general manager Allan Houston’s presence at this season’s Georgetown vs. UConn matchup.

Houston is also coincidentally in charge of the Knicks’ developmental league affiliate, the Erie BayHawks. If Sims does not make the Knicks roster, he could find himself in Erie, setting up what amounts to an extended audition for an NBA roster spot. With the Knicks’ essentially set up front – they have starters Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire with veterans Marcus Camby and Kurt Thomas as backups – Sims needs to hope the Knicks see merit in carrying a fifth big man. With Camby and Thomas’s age as a factor, along with Stoudemire’s injury history, it’s certainly not out of question.

Photo: Jackson Perry 

This past weekend Austin Freeman, Chris Wright, Henry Sims, and Jason Clark found themselves on the same team for the first time since their unceremonious exit from the 2011 NCAA Tournament. The Georgetown reunion was made possible by the Basketball Alumni Legends League (The-BALL).

The fledgling professional league held its inaugural games this weekend, with the four Hoyas suiting up for Washington, D.C., against a group of former college standouts from the Philadelphia area. The-BALL, which plans to fully launch next summer, also unveiled a few rule quirks, like a four-point line from 25 feet out.

“It was cool,” Clark said after the first game in D.C. on Saturday. “It added some fun to the game, some excitement. I couldn’t hit one, but I’ll try tomorrow.”

The D.C. team won both exhibitions, with Clark leading the way with 20 and 21 points. Freeman displayed his familiar shooting touch, while Wright took over down the stretch in Sunday’s game. Sims fouled out in both contests, but he was a formidable presence in the paint (and on the solo fast break) when he did play.

For Sims and Clark, the games represented the next step in their transition from their time at Georgetown to their professional careers. Both played in the NBA Summer League last month, with Clark suiting up for the Miami Heat and Sims receiving playing time with the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls. Neither player has parlayed the experience into an NBA contract as of yet.

“It was good to get out there and learn from those older guys, gave me a chance to show what I got,” Clark said. “It was a really fun trip.”

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Just as the Hoyas received word of Stephen Domingo’s early arrival, Hollis Thompson inked a three-year contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder. According to SLAM, Thompson’s deal is partially guaranteed with team options for the second and third years. The news was confirmed by Thompson’s agent, Seth Cohen. After going undrafted in last month’s NBA Draft, his professional prospects were initially in question. The signing is a huge success for Thompson, who can now fully rehabilitate a lingering groin injury that he suffered last season.

With Thompson’s shooting ability in the fold, the Thunder can space the floor even better around superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Durant presents the ideal player for Thompson to hone his offensive craft behind, given his preternatural ability to put the ball in the basket from anywhere on the floor. The young Thunder certainly needs the depth, having played deep into the playoffs the last couple of seasons, culminating in a Finals appearance this season.

More information on Thompson – along with Henry Sims and Jason Clark’s NBA prospects after the jump.

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The Hoyas’ 2012 rotation just got a lot stronger – various outlets are reporting that rising high school senior Stephen Domingo, who committed to the Hoyas in late May, will enroll at Georgetown a year early. The 17-year old Domingo has been noted for his long, athletic frame and sweet shooting touch.

According to the original report, Domingo is already in Washington D.C. If he enrolls right away, he will be eligible to showcase his talents in the Nike Pro-City (Kenner) League along with the other members of the Class of 2012. The news was confirmed by his high school coach, St. Ignatius Prep’s Tim Reardon.

“From what I understand, he’s going to Georgetown next year and playing for Georgetown next year,” Reardon told SanFranPreps.com. “I don’t know how that works, considering he didn’t graduate from high school, but that’s what his mother told our principal.”

For those wondering, the report says Domingo has finished all his obligatory credits for graduation. The Hoyas’ recruiting class, initially quite strong, is now stacked as Domingo adds a wing player to complement guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera and big men Bradley Hayes and Brandon Bolden. Smith-Rivera and Bolden made their Kenner League debuts this past weekend, as Smith-Rivera dazzled with his shooting touch and strong handle, both crucial requisites for a team that features just one true point guard in junior Markel Starks.

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After countless workouts and tireless training since the end of the Hoyas’ 2012 campaign, Georgetown graduate Henry Sims and junior Hollis Thompson are poised for selection in tonight’s NBA Draft. Both have shown up on the majority of mock draft boards leading up to the draft, which Vox has compiled below:

Once the second round rolls around, the mock drafts become far less reliable - players are generally placed based on projected need. Thus, it makes sense for multiple mock drafts to bring the Simsanity movement to Brooklyn, where the Nets will need a big man behind Brook Lopez (or perhaps Dwight Howard). In a similar manner, Thompson heading to Detroit makes sense on many levels – the Pistons are in desperate need of a shooter after shipping Ben Gordon away, plus the last Georgetown guy they selected worked out pretty well.

More on Sims, Thompson, and Jason Clark after the jump:

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Georgetown’s Class of 2012 certainly has a few unemployed grads – count Henry Sims and Jason Clark among them. Unlike their classmates, however, that situation could change in a big way during next Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Since the Hoyas’ season concluded, Clark, Sims, and the early-departing junior Hollis Thompson (he doesn’t get to play on a boat now) have been working out and showcasing their talents for NBA teams, hoping to get picked up in the draft.

Sims – following Clark and Thompson before him – worked out with the Washington Wizards on familiar turf at the Verizon Center today. According to the center, it was approximately his thirteenth workout for a team, with three or four remaining.

“It’d be like coming back home,” Sims said of the possibility of playing for the Wizards. “The rims haven’t changed, I don’t think. It would definitely be nice.”

After his workout, Clark was similarly excited, but admitted to feeling out of place at the Phonebooth: “It’s kind of weird coming into this arena and not having on that Georgetown jersey.”

Both Thompson and Sims are projected to go in the second round by most experts, with both receiving periodic praise from the draft experts. ESPN’s Chad Ford said Thompson could sneak into the first round after watching one of his workouts last month, while his colleague John Hollinger called Sims a potential “second-round steal.” All three players value this time to fully showcase their abilities (like Sims’ monstrous dunk versus UConn, pictured above), especially according to the big man.

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As the final buzzer rang, Henry Sims stood at the top of the three-point line in disbelief. His second double-double in as many days turned out to not be enough, as his Hoyas fell in a thriller at Madison Square Garden, losing 72-70 to Cincinnati in double overtime. The senior matched wits with the Bearcats’ Yancy Gates for the entire afternoon, posting 22 points and 15 rebounds in the process. In the end, however, the game came down to one three-point attempt that clanked the back iron for Sims, ending Georgetown’s Big East Tournament run after two games.

But, the senior did not hang his head. Though clearly emotional and somber, Sims realized that he and his team played their hearts out and provided a capacity crowd at MSG with a thriller—though he sure would like to have that last shot back.

“I mean, it would have been nice to make that last one, obviously, but the first layup to put it into double overtime I think obviously felt good,” Sims said. “But I’d much rather have that shot at the end.”

That first layup Sims referred to actually saved the Hoyas in the first overtime, as he drove into the line and hit a shot to tie the game at 62 as time expired. He and freshman Otto Porter provided all but two points in extra time for the Hoyas, but it was not enough to overcome Gates and the Bearcat offense.

Both teams got off to sluggish starts in the first half, with the lead changing 10 times in the first 10 minutes. The Hoya offense only got in a rhythm shortly after freshmen Greg Whittington and Jabril Trawick entered the game. Trawick drew a foul and drained a free throw to tie the game at 15, which led to a string of six straight field goals for the Hoyas. The first three of those came from Sims, who followed a jumper with a putback and a strong move in the paint. The Bearcats worked hard to establish Gates in the paint early, but to no avail, as Sims took over on both ends with the help of junior Hollis Thompson and Porter.

In a manner all too reminiscent of their first meeting, the Bearcats staged a run in the second half to bring themselves within one point of the lead. The poor stretch included a goaltending call on Whittington and a Jason Clark turnover, culminating in a flagrant foul on Porter for an aggressive elbow to Cincinnati guard Sean Kilpatrick. This time, though, the Hoyas did not relinquish the lead, regaining control of the game behind freshman Markel Starks and Sims.

The recap continues, along with analysis, after the jump:

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Henry Sims saved arguably his best career outing for the biggest stage, posting 20 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists in Georgetown’s Big East Tournament opener. The Hoyas (23-7, 12-6 Big East) struggled to maintain control of the game early in the first and second halves, but dominated the latter parts of both, defeating the Pittsburgh Panthers (17-16, 5-13) 64-52. The victory sets up a matchup this afternoon with Cincinnati. Tipoff is slated for 2 pm at Madison Square Garden and will be aired on ESPN.

Recap of Wednesday’s victory and preview of today’s matchup after the jump..

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The Georgetown Hoyas (22-7, 12-6 Big East) begin Big East Tournament play tomorrow at 2 PM, when they play the Pittsburgh Panthers (17-15, 5-13) at Madison Square Garden. The Panthers come in after walloping St. John’s this afternoon, 73-59. Senior guard Ashton Gibbs led the team with 20 points while Nasir Robinson chipped in 15 points to go along with 8 rebounds.

Awards and Snubs

Over the weekend, senior guard Jason Clark was named to the All-Big East First Team while classmate Henry Sims was recognized for his turnaround this season, as he was named to the Third Team. Junior guard Hollis Thompson was named Honorable Mention. The senior was proud of his accomplishment but in his own, selfless manner, deflected the attention towards the team.

“That’s a personal accomplishment, but I could only be in this position because of my teammates,” Clark said. “We’ve been winning games – at the beginning of the season, I just wanted to lead this team to victory. I worked hard, I think I deserve it, but there’s a lot more from on this point.”

His coach, John Thompson III, was very proud of Clark and Sims’ efforts as well, focusing in on Jason’s contributions to the team.

“Very happy for Jason,” Thompson said. “Jason Clark is someone, that for four years, has just worked – he’s just gone about his business, worked extremely hard for four years, has always been in the background, for four years has always been extremely selfless.”

In addition, Clark was awarded the Big East Sportsmanship Award, a testament to his peers’ perception of Clark. The guard did not hear about the award until reporters mentioned it to him yesterday, but was honored by the distinction.

“I’m just all about the game of basketball,” the Arlington native said. “I’m not with all the trash talking and all that other stuff. The game gets emotional sometimes, but I respect a lot of the other players around the league because they respect me. I’m out there usually having fun.”

Not everything went as expected for the Hoyas, though, as freshman Otto Porter was not named to the All-Big East Rookie Team. Porter leads the Hoyas in rebounding this season and has played his best in Georgetown’s biggest games. Still, Porter remains humble and simply wants to acknowledge the snub through his play this week.

“It motivates me,” said Porter of the snub. “But I just come in and play my game, basically. Just playing in the Big East is my motivation. I just want to win.”

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Hey Austin Freeman, Sims didn’t cry on Senior Day. He probably cried when he watched The Notebook, but I mean, who doesn’t?

Julia Ryan fails to realize that this was a surprise for the 90 percent of the audience who didn’t know The Artist was a movie.

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