Salesian’s Simmons set to soar

Kevin McCarthy
 

The term fame is often paired with fortune when such matters are discussed. But acclaim sometimes also has another not-so-pretty twin when the expectations that come with it become weighty. For one Bay Area prepster, headlines and proclamations are certainly fine but his focus is simply on getting better.

Desmond Simmons, a 6-foot-6, 210 pound junior forward from Salesian High in Richmond, is well known in prep recruiting ranks. In 2007, he was named the top-ranked player and All-Star game most valuable player at the adidas Phenom 150 Freshman and Sophomore Camp and the limelight has shone on him ever since. However, he may be more well known regionally and nationally than in the Bay Area due to his youth so let’s introduce him.

Simmons was the top-ranked player at the adidas Phenom 150 Camp in 2007

It was during that summer of his freshman year that it hit Simmons -- ‘it’ being the realization that with continued work and improvement he was headed towards earning a college basketball scholarship. College coaches were impressed by the game and potential he displayed and made such known.

As for his game, Simmons offered "My best skill is mid-range shooting, with rebounding probably second." Conversely, he’s putting in time and effort on cultivating his perimeter skills. "I want to be a pure three," Simmons said.

Greg Davis, Simmons’ coach with the Drew Gooden Soldiers 17U team, offered this about his protege: "Desmond is a very humble, hard-working young man who is fun to be around. He’s a perfectionist and actually a little too hard on himself. We keep telling him that you are going to have good periods and bad periods in basketball games. He’s really only in his second year of playing on the perimeter and he’s just starting to realize what his potential could be."

Simmons acknowledges Davis in return saying, "As a mentor, he keeps me level headed and working hard."

With an already strong academic focus, Simmons boasts above a 3.0 grade point average, making college coaches encountering the NCAA-mandated and scholarship stealing Academic Progress Rates salivate.

It’s certainly still a ways off before any decisions need be made but Simmons has given some thought about his future. "I want to have a good connection with my college coach and be on the same page. I want the [basketball] style to fit the way I play." But he also says he’s not worried about the size or hype of his eventual collegiate choice. "I would like to go someplace where I can stand out as a basketball player and show my skills," he said.

Simmons wanted to note that Bakari Hendrix, his older godbrother and the former Gonzaga, NBA and overseas player, is his biggest basketball influence. As for tops in influencing his life though, Simmons replied, "My mother because she takes me to all the workouts and practices and has always been there for me."

His plan is just to "continue doing what I do, working harder to keep getting better," a polishing of a not-so-rough diamond.