By Rubin E. Grant
Homewood senior Charlie Sims isn’t the typical high school basketball player. He’s completely blind in his right eye. “When I was little, they thought I might not be blind,” Sims says. “I went through a lot of therapy to try to strengthen it, but it’s completely blind now.”
He continues, “I also went through speech therapy because I slurred my words. When I was little, my mouth didn’t develop properly, and I had trouble speaking and chewing. Those were developmental issues I had to overcome.”
Sims’ biological parents both dealt with substance abuse, which led to his physical conditions and adoption. Nick Sims and his wife Stacey Davis adopted Charlie when he was two months old. “I was adopted, and my adoptive parents raised me,” Nick Sims says, “so it’s interesting seeing the other side of it as a parent.
While growing up, Charlie became active in sports, playing baseball, basketball and soccer. He quit baseball before he was 10 and quit soccer in the eighth grade to concentrate on basketball. “I loved basketball more, and I didn’t want the other things to take away from basketball,” he says. “I played a lot of AAU, trying to make varsity.”
Charlie finally made the Homewood varsity roster as a junior. “The team we had was really good, and it was hard to get on it,” Charlie says. “That summer I wanted to make sure I was ready to play. I worked hard. I would go to the gym in the morning, then go to work as a volunteer at United Ability (with the Hand In Hand Early Learning Program), then come to back to the gym. I wanted to be prepared for my journey, so if I got minutes, I could impact the game.”
A 6-foot-6 forward, Charlie averaged four points and two rebounds a game as a junior, helping the Patriots post a 24-9 record and reach their first regional final since 2016. This season, he battled knee and elbow injuries, averaging seven points and 3.5 rebounds as Homewood finished 19-11.
Just being on the court the past two seasons despite being blind in his right eye earned Sims some special recognition. He was selected as the Class 6A Region 5 Bryant-Jordan Achievement Award winner. “It’s really an honor,” Charlie says. “I wasn’t expecting it. It’s a big deal to be honored for my accomplishments. It means all the hard work I put in has come to fruition. It means that somebody with my struggles is doing some good things in the community. It makes me real proud and grateful for the people around me who put me in a position to succeed.”
Nick says, “The regional award is really a big deal. I have lot of pride for his achievement obviously, thinking about where he’s at after all he’s been through. He’s a really good basketball player and now he’s fortunate enough to be recognized for it.”
The Bryant-Jordan Scholarship Program, which began in 1986, recognizes high school senior student-athletes from 52 regions in Alabama, awarding college scholarships to celebrate their achievements. The Bryant-Jordan Program honors students who are exceptional academically, as well as those who have overcome major obstacles to succeed.
Ninety-six scholarships are awarded annually to seniors from schools that are members of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. The program has grown from an $8,000 award program to presently more than $800,000.
The scholarships are divided into two major categories: Scholar-Athlete Award and Achievement Award. The Scholar-Athlete Award honors seniors who are superior athletes and outstanding students. The Achievement Award honors those who have achieved success relative to his or her ability or who may have overcome an unusual hardship.
Region winners are put into competition before a selection committee to determine the winner in each class. Class winners are then compared to determine the top Scholar Athlete and top Achievement winners in the state. Those winners will be announced April 14 during the 40th Annual Bryant-Jordan Awards Banquet and Ceremony at the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel Ballroom. The banquet will begin at 6 p.m. and will be live streamed.
Mountain Brook wrestler Jack Abenoja was the Class 6A Region 5 Scholar-Athlete winner and Vestavia Hills basketball player Jack Cobb was the Class 7A Region 3 Scholar-Athlete winner.
Charlie says he never let being blind in his right eye be a hindrance on the court. “I just have a feel for things because I’ve played so much,” he says. “I kind of know where people should be. I’ve never played with two good eyes, so I don’t know what that’s like. I try to play at my own pace, so I can make easier reads on the court. I try to see something happening and it makes me a little quicker.”
Homewood boys basketball coach Elijah Garrison is elated to see Sims honored. “I don’t think I’ve ever been around someone who loves basketball as much as Charlie,” Garrison says. “When I get to school in the morning, he’s already here getting up shots. And after school he’s back in the gym getting up shots. The fact that he’s doing it being blind in one eye is amazing. He has had to overcome a lot, so it’s a great honor for him to be a region winner.”
Mike Bradley, a former college basketball player at Connecticut and Samford, mentored Sims at Big Mike’s Fundamentals in Birmingham. He also was thrilled to see Sims receive the region award. “I was drawn to Charlie because of his background,” Bradley says. “I was raised in foster homes in Chattanooga, so I kind of knew a little of what Charlie was going through. He’s an amazing kid. He’s the epitome of everything we stand for in our basketball training, so to see him get this award is great.”
Charlie also excels in the classroom. He has a 4.05 grade-point average and scored 30 on the ACT. He will play college basketball at Lycoming College, a Division III program in Williamsport, Penn. “They gave me my first offer after my junior year,” Charlie says “They saw me play and said they were impressed by how hard I worked and the skills I showed in the game, and they thought I was good enough to play at the next level.”
Charlie says he hasn’t totally decided on his course of study, but it will likely be “pre-health with a track for physical therapy.”
