Don Sims does things a little differently.
His Seattle Mountaineers of the American Basketball Association practice and play the same as any other basketball team.
Off the court, it’s a different story.
“I’m a strong Christian,” said Sims, owner and coach of the Mountaineers, who play their home games at Green River Community College. “When we switched from the IBL (International Basketball League), which was for profit, and moved to the ABA, my wife said, ‘Why don’t we make this a truly mission-driven project?’ ”
After four years as an IBL franchise, the Mountaineers jumped to the ABA and applied and received nonprofit status.
“We’re the only professional basketball team that is a (501(c)(3),” Sims said. “That way, we can solicit donations and sponsorships that go directly to the ministry.”
The Mountaineers lay it out on the line with their mission statement, which uses “basketball to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through prayer, testimony and Christ-like behavior.”
The team’s philosophy is to help the community by being role models for youth and hosting youth skills development camps.
While the program is Christian-based, the Mountaineers don’t require their players to be Christians.
“We recruit high-character guys who believe in our mission statement,” he said. “There is a saying that if everybody in church were Christians, then you wouldn’t need a church. But our guys believe in our mission statement, doing things in the community and giving back.”
For Sims, the coach-and-owner gig is the culmination of a lifetime of involvement in basketball.
Originally from Columbia, S.C., Sims won four South Carolina high school championships as a shooting guard and went on to play collegiate ball at Central Connecticut State University.
After a career playing professionally in England, Denmark and Portugal, Sims began coaching at the college level.
He has a degree in teaching and education, with a minor in physical education, health and social studies
Sims’ first job was head basketball coach and athletic director at tiny Mullins High School in South Carolina.
After serving as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Sims moved on to coach at a pair of colleges in Canada – the University of Western Ontario and Southern Alberta Institute of Technology.
After his time in Canada, Sims began his professional coaching career in England, taking the helm of the Middlesborough Mohawks.
“Basketball in England is very nice,” Sims said. “A lot of people don’t know that. They have nice facilities, they play in big arenas, about 2,000-3,000 people.”
After a couple of years in England, Sims coached teams in Denmark and Portugal before becoming the owner of the Mountaineers in 2004.
“I wanted to be close to my Canadian roots, so I moved to Seattle,” Sims said.
Under Sims, the Mountaineers made the jump to the ABA, a higher level of competition.
“The players are more athletic, quicker and more physical,” he said. “The ABA is the third league down. You have the NBA, the NBA D-league (Developmental League) then the ABA. Naturally, kids who don’t go to Europe and can’t play in the NBA or D-league come to the ABA. It’s a talented league.”
Sims said the organization’s main goal is to help out in the community.
“We just use basketball to put out a good product, spread the word and give kids who want to play at a higher level an opportunity,” he said.
The Mountaineers will host Chico State at the Green River gym for a pair of games at 7 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday.
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Mountaineers
The Seattle Mountaineers are funded by donations and sponsorship. Members of the organization are volunteers, including coach Don Sims. The General’s BBQ in Kent and the Quality Inn at Sea-Tac Airport sponsor the team. The organization welcomes tax-deductible donations and sponsorships. For more information, visit www.seattle-mountaineers.org.
