We knew Baylor Lady Bears guard Odyssey Sims was an outstanding player and top 2014 WNBA Draft prospect coming into this season.
We all probably figured that she could light up Baylor's weak non-conference schedule, which featured just one team (Kentucky) rated in the top 170 by RPI, according to WBB State.
But averaging 39.3 points per game in the first three games of Big XII conference play is stunning. Doing it on 52.9% shooting sounds crazy for a high usage 5-foot-8 guard. Shooting 61.1% from the 3-point line is helping to keep her among the 30 most efficient guards in the nation (true shooting percentage of 63.4%). Scoring a career-high 48 points on West Virginia - the only other opponent they've played this season with a top 50 RPI - should help to diminish any concerns that her gaudy numbers were simply a function of beating up on inferior competition.
And what makes all those numbers even more amazing is the context, which she described well after Baylor's 78-62 win at West Virginia yesterday as reported by West Virginia MetroNews among other outlets.
"I know every team is going to trap, box-and-one, just about everything you could possibly throw at me," said Sims, a preseason All-American who's living up to that billing. "No matter what, I just have to stay focused, stay level-headed, and lead my team."
It's understandable that Stanford's Chiney Ogwumike is considered a lock for the #1 pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft when you consider the mind-boggling numbers that she's putting up at 6-foot-3. It even makes sense to rate Maryland's nightly triple-double threat Alyssa Thomas ahead of Sims due to size and versatility. But anyone who can do what Sims has been doing statistically thus far this season against every defensive scheme imaginable to stop her deserves lengthy consideration before passing on her.
For more on draft, check out our 2014 WNBA Draft prospects storystream.
