Sims, Tester Prove Themselves Against Elite

El Dorado News-Times article

Until you challenge yourself, you will never know how good you really are or what you can accomplish.

A pair of El Dorado girls went to the University of Arkansas Basketball Elite Camp. The camp featured some of the top players in the state. Falundrus Sims and Kristian Tester were not sure if they really belonged there.

They found out that they did belong.

Sims, a 6-2 senior, was named to the all-star team at the camp and received praise from Arkansas coach Gary Blair. Tester, who was the second youngest girl at the camp, helped her team to a 10-5 record while gaining valuable experience.

“They did good,” said El Dorado coach Brad Slatton, who went up on Saturday. “There were some pretty good girls there. The games I saw they did real good.”

For Sims, the camp provided exposure as she hopes to elevate her status in the eyes of college coaches. She received some attention with her performance.

“The head coach of the Lady Razorbacks (Blair) on our second day said, ‘there’s one girl who might not have the big name but they hustle up and down the court,’ and he pointed to me,” said Sims, whose team went 11-4 at the camp.

“One of the Arkansas assistant coaches told me he didn’t know if she was quick enough for the SEC but she could play in the Southland right now,” said Slatton of the Division I conference that includes Louisiana-Monroe.

Sims was looking forward to playing against bigger posts and got that opportunity, going up against a 6-4 player. She probably learned more when she went head-to-head with current Lady Razorback Celia Anderson.

“Oooh, boy, what did I learn? She dominated me,” said Sims.

Tester, a sophomore who has yet to play a senior varsity game, was coached at the camp by Arkansas point guard Amy Wright. Tester more than held her own against the older players.

“I did better than I thought I would. I didn’t score much but I had probably five assists a game,” she said. “I thought I competed well with the older players. I thought I did well overall. My offseason weightlifting and stuff helped me a whole lot. On defense, I was able to fight through screens.”

Tester also got to rub elbows with the Lady Razorbacks, including one of her heroes, Christy Smith.

“I talked to India Lewis and Christy Smith talked to us. We toured the dressing rooms. I’m really tired and sore but I had a good time,” said Tester.

There were 120 girls at the camp, which consisted of 20-minute games. There were athletes from Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri and Arkansas, making up 15 different teams. Erica Smith of Palestine-Wheatley, regarded by many as the best female player in the state for next year, was named Outstanding Camper.