During last Thursday's exhibition against Ferris State, sophomore DeShawn Sims took the first 3-point shot of the season before much of the crowd had a chance to settle into its seats.

He had no reason to wait. Sims stepped out of the shower that morning and knew he was going to take that shot.

It's quite a thought to have considering Sims didn't make any of the seven 3-pointers he took last season.

But that's the kind of confidence that comes from someone who is self-motivated.

From a kid who was the man of the house at 11 years old.

From someone who wants to show that his unremarkable freshman season was an aberration.

It's a confidence that not only defines Sims but will help usher in the John Beilein era at Michigan.

Difficult start

Last Nov. 3, while walking around with some friends in Detroit, Sims's younger brother, Marcus Pruitt, was shot and killed.

There was no motive for the shooting. No suspects detained.

And Sims, who was living away from home for the first time, felt a world away.

"I think the day that he found out, he really broke down a lot," said his mother, Lolita Pruitt. "He felt he should've been (there) more for his brother, but it's not his fault at all."

Now, a year later, Sims described the difficulty he had being around for his family and his teammates.

"I didn't really balance it," Sims said. "I just went through it because I knew I had a responsibility with my scholarship and I had a responsibility at home. So I had to try and make time for the home thing and basketball."

Sims was there for his family, and two days after his brother's death, he was there for his teammates in an exhibition game against Michigan Tech. To a casual observer his line was unimpressive - four points, two rebounds, one assist. But it was the most impressive performance of the evening.

"I was confident (he'd recover), but again, you always, in the back of your head, you never know how people are going to handle things," said Sims's coach at Pershing High School, A.W. Canada. "We always expected him to pull through, but he actually did a better job than everyone thought."

Senior 'leadership'

The dynamics of last year's basketball team made matters worse for Sims, who was already battling the emotional burden of his younger brother's death.

With a senior-laden squad, Sims was already fighting an uphill battle for playing time. Receiving a cold shoulder from the upperclassmen didn't help.

On Dec. 28 against Army, former Michigan coach Tommy Amaker benched his starting five in favor of Sims, fellow freshmen Ekpe Udoh and Reed Baker and then-sophomores Jevohn Shephard and Jerret Smith. Once he checked the starters back into the game, Sims says the upperclassman didn't even acknowledge the younger players.

The tension between the new and old players was made worse by Amaker's unwillingness to give less-experienced players more time on the court. Sims says he sat angrily on the bench, wondering why the coach wouldn't play him and his younger teammates more often.

"(The upperclassmen) didn't really want to play and our coach felt that he had to play them anyway," Sims said. "Even though we were young, we were getting mad on the sideline (thinking) 'Put us back in.' "

He wanted to win. More important, he wanted to win immediately.

With Sims playing sparingly, the Wolverines suffered through another mediocre season, finishing with another National Invitational Tournament berth.

But the year didn't end on a dim note for Sims. While many of his older and experienced teammates mailed it in following the final regular-season game, Sims improved his play.

In his final four games, he averaged seven points and four rebounds, up from his season averages of three and two, respectively.

"He probably didn't have the kind of freshman year he wanted on the court," Canada said. "But character-wise and as far as mental fortitude, it's one of those things that God put a test in front of him, and he did a pretty good job dealing with it."

Stepping up

Sims's ability to push through his freshman season can be understood through his past.

"Peedi," as his friends and family call him, grew up on Detroit's east side.

"When I needed him to do something it was never, 'Why Ma?' like my other kids did," Pruitt said. "It wasn't a problem with him. I asked him to do something, and he'd do it with no problems."

That quick maturation stems partly from his youth. When Sims was just 11 years old, his father was arrested and imprisoned on drug charges.