And it showed, as he had a had a spectacular year on the court in the Bay Shore Athletic League. He came out of nowhere to win the leagues Most Valuable Player award.
"Desmond was pretty dominant and consistent for us all year," said Bill Mellis, the head basketball coach at Salesian. "One of the areas he really picked his game up for us down the stretch was his work on the boards. He really got a lot of offensive rebounds. He scored a lot of points, but his rebounding really solidified what he helped us to accomplish as a team."
Simmons helped propel a young Salesian team to a BSAL league, North Coast section, Northern California and state Division IV title this year. While the Pride had a talented nucleus of players in freshman Freddie Tagoloa and Dominic Artis and a dynamic sophomore trio of Bryce Thompson, Quincy Smith and Jabari Brown, Simmons commanding play was key for the Pride.
At various times during the season, he literally put his team on his back and willed them to victories such as in the state title game against Bishop Montgomery, when Simmons scored 31 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and made key play after key play.
"I wanted to win and I did what I had to do, to help us win," said Simmons.
His play helped attract various colleges to the small Richmond campus. Schools such as Oregon State, Arizona State, St. Mary's, Santa Clara, San Jose State and Santa Barbara had offered him scholarships. Other schools starting to show interest in him included Nevada Reno, Providence, Utah and Minnesota. But after thinking long and hard about what was in front of him, Simmons decided to end his basketball recruitment and verbally commit to Lorenzo Romar and the University of Washington Huskies.
"I think Washington is a good fit for me," said Simmons. "I liked the campus and the basketball program."
Carl Foster, the Director of the Drew Gooden Oakland Soldiers club team that Simmons plays for, called Simmons a "throwback player."
"Desmond is a Dennis Rodman type with a jump shot," said Foster. "He can play multiple positions and he has the ability to impact the game at every facet."
One of the things that stands out about Simmons the most is his high level of activity on the court. He is involved on almost all facets of plays on both ends of the court, as he has a hunger for the ball.
"He blocks shots, gets into the passing lanes and gets on loose balls," continued Foster. "He has the ability to score around the rim and he has a nice shooting touch out to 18 feet."
Since he committed to Washington early, Simmons can now concentrate on playing through the summer and getting better as a player. He has been invited to play in the NBA Players Association Camp in Virginia in mid June, the Reebok U camp in July and he said he will attend Washington's elite camp in August, which he will use as a measuring stick against some of the other players Washington is recruiting.
Comments
Looks like a hard worker and a player with tremendous potential. Welcome to U-Dub Desmond!!
Welcome to U-Dub Desmond!
The desert vermin at Arizona said the only reason Romar recruited Simmons was to get Jabari Brown. Those pukes have no shame. Simmons is exactly the type of versatile player Romar favors.
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