Simon Makes the Transition in His Mind

Miles Simon was ready for college basketball-style reprogramming. However, he hasn’t had to change a thing so far.

Odds are he never will.

A freshman guard at Arizona, Simon figured he’d spend his first year in Tucson learning a lot about the game he thought he knew so well. Simon, all-everything at Mater Dei, heard stories about other freshmen who discovered big-time college basketball isn’t as simple as it looks on TV.

Fortunately for Simon, though, he’s quite familiar with the Wildcats’ lesson plans. As it turns out, he has been studying them for years.

“Everything I did at Mater Dei, I’m doing the same things here,” Simon said. “Our practices are just like Mater Dei practices. Our defensive principles, our offensive sets, they’re almost identical.”

It’s not too surprising that one of the nation’s most successful prep basketball programs would have more than a few things in common with one of college’s best.

Simon noticed some of the similarities when he visited the desert on a recruiting trip. However, Simon never dreamed so much would be so familiar.

“I knew our programs were similar but not this similar,” Simon said. “Everything is really structured, there’s no ‘free play’ out here, and that’s what I came from.

“Usually, (freshmen) expect to learn something new in practice each day. Everything has been repetition for me, and that’s given me a foot up on some guys.”

And Simon is using this advantage well.

Simon, 6 feet 4, is averaging 9.7 points and 3.0 rebounds for Arizona (6-1), ranked No. 7 in the nation. He’s fourth in scoring for the Wildcats’ and first off the bench.

A skilled long-range shooter, he’s making 52% of his three-point attempts. Overall, he’s shooting 51% from the field and 70% from the free-throw line.

Simon set career highs with 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the Wildcats’ 92-75 rout of La Salle on Monday night at Arizona’s McKale Center.

“I can’t really say that I’m surprised,” Simon said.

The coaching staff is.

Jessie Evans, the Wildcats’ recruiting coordinator, said Simon’s play has exceeded his expectations.

“We expected Miles to be really good right away,” Evans said, “but to be quite honest about it, he’s a little better than we expected.

“As a matter of fact, I was just talking with (Coach) Lute (Olson) about how well Miles rebounds. We didn’t think he’d be able to get these type of numbers right away.”

While at Mater Dei, Simon established himself as one of the top players in the tradition-rich school’s history.

The Monarchs won Southern Section Division I-A championships in each of Simon’s three years on the varsity. The Times Orange County selected Simon the boys’ player of the year after his junior and senior seasons.

“I’m averaging about 24 minutes a game, which is about what I played in high school last year,” Simon said, “but I usually didn’t play in the fourth quarter at Mater Dei because we were always blowing teams out.”

Although Simon hasn’t had to adjust to a new system, he needs help from time to time like anyone. Junior guard Reggie Geary, one of Simon’s teammates at Mater Dei, provides support.

Simon credits Geary, a starter and defensive stopper, with making him a better player during their days at Mater Dei. Geary guarded Simon so well in practice it forced him to work hard just to get open.

“He’s been helping me out a lot here,” Simon said. “I was a little worried about not playing in the beginning and Reggie would always tell me, ‘Miles, you’re going to get your time.’ ”

Evans is confident Simon is destined for even bigger things.

“He’s just like (Miami Heat rookie guard) Khalid (Reeves) and (Wildcat All-American senior guard) Damon (Stoudamire) were as freshmen,” Evans said. “And you see how they turned out.”

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Identical 6-5 twins Brad and Brian Finneran, who excelled in basketball and football at Santa Margarita, recently completed their freshman seasons on the Villanova football team.

Wide receivers, the Finnerans made key contributions for the Division I-AA Wildcats. Brian set Villanova freshman records with 56 receptions for 805 yards. He also scored seven touchdowns.

Brad caught five passes for 50 yards and was one of Villanova’s best players on special teams. The Wildcats finished 5-6, 2-6 in the Yankee Conference.

“I was pleased and surprised,” Brian said. “I didn’t expect for this to happen. I wish the team would have done better, but we have a real young team.”

Said Brad: “I’m glad they allowed me to play as a freshman. I gained a lot of experience that will help me in the next three years.”

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Former El Toro basketball player Jason Senik is one of the leaders for Wheaton, a Division III school in Wheaton, Ill.

Senik, a 6-7 junior forward, averages 11.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists. The Crusaders are 7-1.

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Freshman forward Sarah Beckley is making an immediate impact at Missouri Southern State, a Division II school in Joplin, Mo.

Beckley (5-11), who helped Brea-Olinda win four consecutive State titles, has averages of 9.9 points and 6.7 rebounds. The Lions are 6-4.

* Keeping Track is a regular column in The Times following the progress of former Orange County athletes competing for colleges elsewhere