Simmons Going Strong on Outside

Before the season, some may have questioned the wisdom of moving Kevin Simmons from under the basket to the small forward spot on the wing. After all, Simmons led the team in scoring and rebounding and earned Big West freshman of the year honors last season as a power forward.

The switch was clearly in Simmons’ best interest--he will have to play on the perimeter if he makes it to the NBA--but would it help the Anteaters win?

So far, it appears as if Coach Rod Baker was correct when he said it was a mutually beneficial move.

Simmons, suspended for Irvine’s final nonconference game Friday night for violating an unspecified team rule, is averaging 18 points, seven rebounds, two assists and three turnovers. Those numbers might be even better had he not sat out the second half against Oregon State because of an injured calf.

Last season, he averaged 15 points, eight rebounds, one assist and three turnovers.

And the 6-foot-8 Simmons is still getting his share of layups and other high-percentage shots. Last season, he shot .465 from the field. This season, he’s made only four of 14 three-point attempts, but he’s still shooting 45% from the floor overall.

“If Kevin didn’t have the ability to play out there, then it would be detrimental to the team and we wouldn’t have done it,” Baker said. “But we’re only giving Kevin the opportunity to do what he’s capable of doing.

“Now, he’s in a position to make more passes than he was before and that’s a big part of his game.”

Before the season, even Baker wondered if moving Simmons away from the basket would adversely affect the Anteaters’ ability to rebound. “We have to keep reminding him we need those rebounds,” Baker said, “but at least now he’ll have a running start at the basket.”

Simmons’ rebounding numbers are slightly reduced, but with Simmons on the wing and two post players in the game, Irvine has been a formidable force on the boards.

The Anteaters are averaging 38 rebounds, six more per game than their opponents.

Oregon State, which had a 38-35 edge, and Washington State (31-30) are the only teams to outrebound Irvine this season.

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Toe the line: Irvine officials are not saying exactly what team rule Simmons broke, but Athletic Director Dan Guerrero indicated it was a minor infraction.

“It was more a standard than a rule, really,” he said. “But if you’re going to have team rules, everybody has to adhere to them, from the last walk-on to the star player.

“That’s the way we want to run our programs here at UCI, and I support Rod 100% in his decision on this.”

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Dancing with wolves: Colleen Matsuhara is a disciple of the baptism-by-fire philosophy--check any of her nonconference schedules over the past five seasons--and freshman guard Princess Hatcher is the latest beneficiary.

“We kind of threw Princess to the wolves when she got here,” Matsuhara said. “She had to guard [senior] Tamera [Thomas] and Tamera guarded her, day in and day out in practice.

“I’m sure it was tough on her, but she’s made the adjustments and adapted and now she can go out there and mix it up and hold her own with anyone.”

How hard was it?

“I was trying to do my moves from high school and Tamera was just stealing the ball almost every time,” Hatcher said. “I had to completely change how I played.

“The defensive pressure here is the single biggest difference from playing in high school. In high school, there were a lot of girls out there who really didn’t do much. I could basically do whatever I wanted. But that changed the minute I got here and started playing against Tamera. It’s been a learning experience.”

The lessons may have been painful and humiliating at first, but they’re paying dividends now.

Hatcher has started six of Irvine’s nine games and is averaging two points, one rebound, one assist and 17 minutes per game.

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Tunnel vision: Houston Oiler Coach Jeff Fisher sleeps in a storage room next to his office, but Baker is one of those coaches who has interests that go beyond the gym.

“I’m lucky enough to be the product of a Jesuit, liberal arts education,” said Baker, who graduated from Holy Cross, “and your family won’t allow you to live and breathe just basketball, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Still, my wife would probably say all I think about is basketball and, after all, that’s what feeds and clothes us.

“I think some guys kind of get caught up in that sleeping-in-the-office persona and it works for them. You have to do what it is you do to be successful. But I also really believe what we talk to our guys about, that there will be a time when basketball stops for one reason or another. You’d like to be able to pick when, but you can’t always dictate that and you had better understand that there’s more to life than basketball.”

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Raving about Ray: Washington State Coach Kevin Eastman on Irvine point guard Raimonds Miglinieks: “He’s got the best court vision of anyone we’ve played against in the two years I’ve been here. We came into the game with the intention of limiting those incredible thread-the-needle passes of his that zip through everyone to a teammate under the basket, and they had eight points off those kind of passes in the first 10 minutes.”

Anteater Notes

The men’s basketball team has lost four of its last five games, but senior forward Michael Tate feels good about the Anteaters’ chances when Big West Conference play gets underway Tuesday in the Bren Center against Pacific. “We’ve lost a couple, but we’re not falling apart,” he said. “We’ll be OK. As long as we keep playing together and stick together through the ups and downs, we’ve got a very good chance to win this conference.” . . . Taking care of the ball is always a key to success in women’s basketball and the Anteaters have been a classic example this season. Irvine’s opponents have averaged 13 steals during the Anteaters’ four losses and only eight in games Irvine has won. . . . Twenty-two college teams will be competing in the UCI Invitational swim meet Friday through Sunday at the Heritage Park swim complex in Irvine.