Troy Simons (born July 3, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Plymouth City Patriots of the British Basketball League. He played college basketball for Polk State College, New Mexico and Kent State.
 Simons in 2016 | |
| No. 3 – Plymouth City Patriots | |
|---|---|
| Position | Shooting guard |
| League | British Basketball League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 3, 1996 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
|
| College |
|
| NBA draft | 2020: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2020–present |
| Career history | |
| 2020–2021 | Tigers Tübingen |
| 2021–2022 | Kharkivski Sokoly |
| 2022– | Plymouth City Patriots |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life and high school career edit
Simons grew up in Pittsburgh and attended four high schools: Brashear, University Prep, Imani Christian Academy, and Renaissance Academy Charter School in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania.[1] He was a two-sport athlete, playing wide receiver on the football team in addition to basketball.[2] Renaissance Academy Charter School closed during the fall of his senior year.[3] When Simons attempted to transfer back to University Prep, he was ruled ineligible and missed his senior season of basketball. He considered attending prep school at Montverde Academy, but instead chose Polk State College after his mentor Rico Abbondanza sent film to coach Matthew Furjanic Jr.[1]
College career edit
Simons played two seasons at Polk State. He averaged 17.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game as a freshman.[4] As a sophomore, he led the NJCAA in scoring with 26.3 points per game while also posting 5.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game, shooting 41 percent from three-point range.[5] He was named first team All-Suncoast Conference and to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII All-State Team and participated in the 2017 NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game.[6] Simons initially committed to Middle Tennessee State before his sophomore season before de-committing and signed with Pittsburgh in March 2017 over offers from Iowa State and Cincinnati.[7] Due to a communication issue, he changed his commitment to New Mexico.[8]
Simons scored a season-high 24 points on November 14, 2017, in a 103–71 win against Omaha.[9] On January 5, 2018, he was issued a one-game suspension by the Mountain West Conference after receiving a technical foul and ejected against Boise State.[10] As a junior, Simons averaged 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and led the Lobos with 52 steals. After the season, Simons transferred to Kent State.[2] He posted a season-high 27 points on February 15, 2020, in an 87–72 win against Ohio.[11] Simons averaged 12.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game as a senior, shooting 39 percent from three-point range.[12]
Professional career edit
On September 11, 2020, Simons signed his first professional contract with Tigers Tübingen of the ProA.[4] He averaged 11.3 points per game as a rookie.[3] Simos signed with Kharkivski Sokoly of the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague in 2021.[13] Simons signed for Plymouth City Patriots in February 2022.[14]
References edit
- ^ a b Psaros, Harry (March 11, 2017). "Troy Simon's Mentor Discusses His Journey to Pitt". Pittsburgh Sports Now. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ a b "Men's Basketball Announces the Signing of Troy Simons". Kent State Golden Flashes. June 8, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ a b Everett, Brad (July 15, 2021). "Hill District native Troy Simons' wild basketball journey takes him to Germany". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ a b Schmidt-Scheuber, Miles (September 11, 2020). "The Tigers Tuebingen Get Troy Simons". Eurobasket. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "Kent State men's basketball picks up transfer from New Mexico". Record-Courier. June 8, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "Troy Simons named to NJCAA All-Star Game". Polk State College Eagles. April 13, 2017. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ Meyer, Craig (March 6, 2017). "Top junior college scorer Troy Simons commits to Pitt basketball". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ Grammer, Geoff (April 17, 2017). "Lobos sign high-scoring JC guard Simons". Albuquerque Journal. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ Rosales, Glen (November 14, 2017). "New Mexico Lobos romp past Omaha". Durango Herald. Associated Press. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ Chester, Jared (January 5, 2018). "MWC Hands Troy Simons a One-Game Suspension prior to Saturdays game with San Jose State". KRQE. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "Kent St. rides Williamson's scoring burst to beat Ohio". ESPN. Associated Press. February 15, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ "Troy Simons signs with Tigers Tübingen". Sportando. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 12, 2020.
- ^ ""Prometey" had almost no problem in Kharkiv". BC Prometey. Retrieved December 2, 2021.
- ^ "Plymouth City Patriots take on the London Lions twice in one weekend". Plymouth Live. Retrieved April 5, 2022.