University of Maine at Farmington

Darren Sims - SG

Team: University of Maine at Farmington Beavers [ID #955]

Location: Farmington, ME (New England)

Conference: VI.7 [Division 3]

President: None

Rating: 89.77 - Overall Position: #394

Fan Mood: 44.15

Alumni Mood: 146.20

Prestige: 156

Team Notes:

• Mar 10 2041: 2-star prospect K.J. McDonnell committed.
• Mar 07 2041: 2-star prospect Luther Milligan committed.
• Mar 02 2041: 1-star prospect Harold Breen committed.
• Jan 26 2041: 2-star prospect John Bell committed.
• Jan 17 2041: 2-star prospect Jessie Slone committed.
• Jan 12 2041: 3-star prospect Sheldon McCune committed.
• Aug 30 2040: Henry McCall was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Aug 30 2040: Steve Edmonds was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Aug 30 2040: Josh Grove was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Aug 30 2040: Assistant coach Denzel Slone was let go.

Record:

Wins: 8 Losses: 24 Pct: .250 Conf Wins: 6 Conf Losses: 16 Conf Pct: .273 Conf Rank: 14 Last10: 4-6 Streak: W1

Pts Ave: 64.1 - 81.4 Pts Diff: -17.3 Team Power Index: 114.9

Press Releases:

Oct 22 2031: Paying Refs Is Not Worth It - by RupaScoop on April 13th, 2023

We have been accused of paying refs, and while we won't get into the allegations, we will say that it is not worth it. Sure the zebras might play along in the regular season, but come the championship game they will put their whistles away to avoid suspicion. Cowards.

If you have to play the Penguins twice a year, you'd pay the refs too.

Oct 08 2026: The Legend of Farmington Beavers - by RupaScoop on July 3rd, 2022

Sorry, say that again?

I'm still not sure I understand. Say it slower.

The University of Maine at Farmington Beavers did not demote? You're kidding right? I can't believe they stayed up.

No. Stop it. Really.

I'm gonna call the cops on you if you don't cut it out, you're scaring me.

Oh my gosh, you're right. The Beavers promoted. They're in Legends.

To read the full post visit my team page.

Oct 08 2026: Legendary 2026 Campaign Lands Beavers In Legends - by RupaScoop on July 3rd, 2022

Sorry, say that again?

I'm still not sure I understand. Say it slower.

The University of Maine at Farmington Beavers did not demote? You're kidding right? I can't believe they stayed up.

No. Stop it.

Really.

I'm gonna call the cops on you if you don't cut it out, you're scaring me.

Oh my gosh, you're right. The Beavers promoted. They're in Legends.

How did this happen?

The Beavers were projected to be one of the worst teams in II.2 last season. An absolute lack of interior defense would doom them, as would a lack of talent and depth in the front court. I mean, the PF and center were Abbott and Costello, and the only other big was Zapp Flanagan. It was a circus. And in a conference as brutal and uncaring as II.2, the Beavers should get torn apart.

So why didn't they?

There is an ongoing investigation that began at police headquarters, moved to the CIA, and finally found its way to the desk of Mulder and Scully. It's a mystery, and all we have are theories.

The first theory is that Abbott and Costello are freak leapers and super smart, and that makes up for a lack of talent. Flanagan and Abbott have really long arms and are strong. So maybe the physicality of those guys made them a very good front court, you just couldn't tell by looking at their base skills.

Another theory is that junior point guard Brett Franklin is a perfect player, and like Chris Paul, is good for 15 wins on his own. Pairing him with matchup nightmare Wyatt 'The Verdict' Innocenti proved too potent a combo.

There are wilder theories involving swamp gas, shape shifters, the hollow earth and Kyrie Irving, but for whatever freak reason it happened, UMF was splendid and led the conference in point differential. Moving on.

The Beavers say goodbye to Innocenti and Hoppin' Tommy Robertson.

Innocenti finishes 2nd all time in total points at 2838, 2nd in 3's made, 1st in 3pt%, 1st in steals per game and total steals, 4th in minutes played, and 3rd in POTG's. His career averages were 16.3ppg, 6rpg and 1.7spg. He was signed as a free agent by the Atlanta Hawks, becoming the first pro ever out of Farmington. He was also the first freshman that president RupaScoop found when he joined the team.

Robertson is noted for his selflessness. A highly touted recruit, ranked 21st in the state of Connecticut, Robertson never started for the Beavers, but he always had a role. He averaged nearly 20mpg, shooting 46/37/71 splits, along with 3.4 assists. Standing at only 5'11", he would ignite the crowd with spectacular dunks, as he had what is perhaps a world record 46 inch vertical leap.

So long suckers, what's next?

The Beavers face an even greater challenge now, in the top conference in the world. The front court still sucks, Abbott and Costello are still there. Flanagan is still there. The promising young bigs are super raw. But now there's no Innocenti, there's just a black gaping hole at small forward that threatens to suck the whole team through it.

But aside from those achilles heels, the team looks pretty good. Last year's class was great, let's list them.

Erwin Shell, SG/SF: Nicknamed Shell Shock, Erwin was a big time scorer in HS, averaging over 14 a game last year. He's a super hard worker, plays tough defense, and offensively can do it all... besides pass. He'll be looked at as the future number 1 option at the wing.

Real Deal Gil O'Neil, PG/SG/SF: the 6'5.5" wing can do it all. He can score almost as well as Shell, but can pass too. The Beavers are hoping in time they become a formidable wing duo.

Luis Meza, C: The Beavers spent more resources recruiting Meza than they ever had for a prior prospect, and it's easy to see why. Meza is 7'1", weighs a much as a mountain, dominates his victims inside, can get off the ground well, is super smart and a phenom defensively. The hopes of this team are tied to Meza, and the cocky son of a gun knows it.

"Whichever team I went to was winning a championship, the Beavers are lucky I chose them."

Can the Beavers stay up this year, or will they demote? If they stay up, it is definitive proof you don't need a small forward. Right now the projected starter at that position is Roko Matic, and we're not sure he even cares about basketall.

But regardless of the outcome, what a ride this has been. It feels like this team just got out of LL6 and here we are. The fans are just hoping this isn't the peak, and that the Beaver's rise is just beginning.

Nov 16 2024: Rufus Steele and Beavers Shoot for the Moon in 2025 - by RupaScoop on March 26th, 2022

Rufus Steele had no business playing for the UMF Beavers. As a 14 year old freshman, Steele was an afterthought, playing less than three minutes a game for St. Paul High School. At the same time the Beavers were a middling D2 school crashing down to D3 amidst a vacancy in the president's seat.

For the full PR, visit my team page.

Nov 16 2024: Rufus Steele and the Beavers Shoot For Glory in 2025 - by RupaScoop on March 26th, 2022

Rufus Steele had no business playing for the UMF Beavers. As a 14 year old freshman, Steele was an afterthought, playing less than three minutes a game for St. Paul High School. At the same time the Beavers were a middling D2 school crashing down to D3 amidst a vacancy in the president's seat.

Steele worked hard over that summer, playing at the park near his school with grown men every day, trying to get tougher, trying to get more skilled. He came back as a sophomore with "33 percent more game" as his coach said, and was rewarded with triple the playing time. This was still only 7.5 minutes per game. Steele dreamed of playing division 1 basketball, but it did not look like it would ever happen.

However, a growth spurt, and another summer spent working on his game (and in the weight room - he put on 20 pounds) convinced his coach to put him in the starting lineup, and he produced. He scored 12 points per game on 57% shooting as a HS junior, showcasing silky smooth post moves and range out to twenty feet. It was not enough to draw any attention though, as the knock on him was his defense.

After another growth spurt he came in as a 6'9.5" HS senior, and was looking strong and confident. He was scoring in the low teens every game, grabbing about ten boards, and every day looking in the mail to get even a single letter from a college. Any college, didn't even have to be D1. At the same time, UMF was getting burned by big man prospect Miles Woodson, having signed with Massachusettes Maritime Academy after telling UMF he was 'very, highly interested' in them. So UMF president RupaScoop hit the trails looking for a scoring big, and came across Steele. He saw a player who was unfairly ridiculed for lackluster defense - Steele tried hard, he just didn't have the coaching. He also saw a player with great size and strength, and with a virtuosic ability to score from the post. Moreover he saw a player who could pass. Rufus Steele, he began to believe, could be the key to UMF's ascent.

So for a few weeks, RupaScoop would visit Steele, get to know his family, talk life and basketball, talk movies, girls, whatever. Steele really liked the Steve Martin movie Bowfinger, he enjoyed fly fishing, and he was nervous talking to the ladies. RupaScoop, being no Casanova himself, told him the best thing he could do is focus on his game and let the rest of life pass him by. Curious advice, but Steele signed his letter of intent the next day.

The signing was met with cautious praise from the HW community. Most said they liked the signing for a D3 program and thought Steele would "score a lot of points in the lower levels" but that he probably couldn't handle higher competition.

As soon as Steele signed, UMF took off. In 2021, Steele's redshirt season, the Beavers promoted to division 2. That was followed by three consecutive promotions, in two of which they won their conference. So here we are in 2025, and UMF is in LL2, just one division below the mighty Legends.

How has Rufus Steele played? To this point, he has been solid, averaging about 11 points and 6.5 boards in 23 minutes a game over his career. But this season, something has clicked. In non-conference play, Steele has average 15.6ppg on 65.9% shooting in a shade under 25mpg. He's been the Beaver's leading scorer, which is saying something since he's paired next to an all-conference teammate in Wyatt Innocenti. In brutal honestly, over the course of his career, Steele has not lit the nets on fire like RupaScoop envisioned. He's been slightly more passive, too much of a team player. It has resulted in success, so there's no regrets. But truthfully, fans of the Beavers have been waiting for a Steele explosion, and it's now or never.

It seems like it's now.

Conference play begins tomorrow against Westfield, a team with even more success in recent years than the Beavers. The II.2 conference has been called one of the strongest conferences in HW history. There are no easy games. The worst team in the conference is a fantastic team. It's the perfect stage for Rufus Steele to conclude his journey with a roar that he belongs, he always did belong, and that in fact he is the monster to fear. At this point he is one of the strongest big men around, he has answered his critics by developing into a fine defender and rebounder, he knows the game well and can bend defenses to his will. The last piece was the aggression, and that seems to have been answered.

The Beavers hope Steele averages around 17ppg in conference and propels them to Legends. If that were to happen, children will be told tails of the great Beaver, Rufus Steele.

Before we close, UMF wishes a special shout-out to the recently graduated Joe Dickerson, one of the most important players in Beaver history. The first high-ish profile recruit for RupaScoop, Dickerson was the #2 ranked prospect coming from Maine. He had career averages of 13.6ppg, 5.2apg, and 1.7spg. A player who was lightning quick, who had eyes in the back of his head, and who could drive and finish on anyone, Dickerson was spectacular to watch. At 6'5" with a 7' wingspan he was simply overwhelming to most opponents. He had career highs of 32 points and 13 assists, and finished first in school history in total assists, steals, third in POTG's and fifth in points. He will be missed, but Brett Franklin has grabbed those PG reigns and is taking the sleigh to greater heights.

Onward and upward!