Two Cats Compete At Elite Camp

Summertime is when the real basketball players get better. There is no better way to improve your skills than to go up against better competition. That is what El Dorado’s Falundrus Sims and Kristian Tester are doing this weekend as they compete in the University of Arkansas Lady Razorback Elite Basketball Camp.

The camp began Friday and concludes on Sunday.

The two El Dorado players are on opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to experience. Sims is a 6-2 senior post for the Lady Wildcats. She averaged 10.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and 3.4 blocks as a junior, earning All-State honors. Tester is a 5-5 sophomore point guard, who has yet to play in a senior varsity regular-season game. Tester averaged 15 points per game for the freshman team, which went 16-2 last year.

“Playing against good people will make you better or make you want to get better,” said Coach Brad Slatton. “It will be a challenge but I think it will be good for them.”

Sims has come a long way in the last couple of years. She was cut from the team in the seventh and eighth grade and was the third team center in the ninth grade. Last season, however, she was an all-conference performer and is being looked at by colleges. She hopes this camp will give her more exposure to college coaches. She’s also looking forward to going up against taller players.

“I have played against taller people but it’s only happened twice. I want to see what I can do against them,” said Sims, who has a 3.7 grade point average. “If I go to college I’ll have to play against people taller than me so this should be a good experience.”

Tester, meanwhile, has been a starter or key contributor on every team on which she has played since the seventh grade. The last two years, she has started every game at point guard and led Barton and the EHS freshmen to a 30-2 record. She said she still has a lot to learn and is looking forward to stepping up to a new level of competition.

“I’m being realistic,” said Tester, who owns a 4.0 grade point average. “I know I will be one of the youngest people up there. It will be more of a learning experience for me as I go up against older players with more experience. I expect it to be hard but I’m real excited about it.

Elite Camp Part Two

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.