Head coach Joe Golding and the Wildcat basketball team is less than a month away from their first game, but they’ll be missing a familiar face.
Senior Dosh Simms decided to step away from the hardwood and call it a career, despite having the opportunity to play significant minutes for the ‘Cats.
Simms was ACU’s leading rebounder last season, and would have commanded attention in the paint, where he shot 56 percent from the field.
“We want guys that want to play, Dosh didn’t want to play basketball anymore,” Golding said. “He wants to focus on his academics, and we think that’s great. But we want guys that want to play basketball, so I don’t think it will effect us.”
Senior guard Desmond Woodberry is one of the only players that has experience in Golding’s system, and will have to take on an even larger leadership role in the absence of Simms.
However, with Simms leaving Moody behind to concentrate on academics, the Wildcats will have an opportunity to showcase their stellar guard play.
“Our guards are our strength this year,” Golding said. “We’ll get to play more guards now than if Dosh would have stayed. We have Conrelius Cammock and Stephen Werner who we are excited about down low so I think we are fine there.”
Golding, just like any former point guard, has a team laced with talented ball-handlers, including freshman sensation Parker Wentz, who has Wildcat nation buzzing before he even steps on the court.
Wentz headlines a top-notch recruiting class that includes six freshmen and four transfer students.
Golding has overhauled the roster in his first full year of recruiting, and he will finally have a chance to leave his own fingerprint on the program.
“The coach Golding era has begun,” assistant coach Brian Burton said. “Just getting to know these kids, their core values are in line with coach’s and myself. Coach Golding talks about having your priorities as God, academics and basketball. We know it’s about something bigger than us, and we are excited about the mindset of this new group.”
The Wildcats get their season started with a scrimmage at Baylor University on October 25th.
