PORTLAND – A former Brunswick High School basketball star and the winner of last year’s Mr. Basketball award is battling for a starting position with Florida State University in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.

Ralph Mims, who led Brunswick to two appearances in the state Class A boys’ championship game, is one of three freshmen competing for two starting slots in the Seminoles’ backcourt. Mims is the only one of the three learning both the point and shooting guard roles.

“Ralph is clearly skilled enough and athletic enough to be a very, very good player in the ACC,” said assistant coach Mike Jaskulski, who was an assistant at the University of Maine from 1987-93. “It’s just a matter of time. Now he’s learning the system, but he’s driven to do things right, and I think that’s going to accelerate his learning process.”

Mims was highly recruited by Division I college teams after averaging 28.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 5.5 steals and 5.1 assists per game last year. Brunswick went 81-4 over four years with Mims in the lineup.

Mims was unavailable for comment because of team rules prohibiting freshmen from talking to the media during their first semester.

His high school coach, Todd Hanson, sat in on two Florida State practices recently while attending a coaching clinic. He said he was impressed with Mims’ development.

“He competed very well in practice and he didn’t look out of place at all,” he said.

In his first game last week, Mims scored 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting in a 90-37 win against Pan-American University of Mexico in an exhibition. Florida State opens its regular season Friday against Texas Southern.