Simmons Steps Up

Kevin Simmons posted up during a Nevada Las Vegas practice and the ball was dumped inside. This was not unfamiliar ground. He had been there, dunked that.

This time, though, the usual moves weren’t enough.

Simmons faked. No shot. He twisted. No room. He turned. No layup. He faked again, and, finally, put up a fall-away.

Life in the Big West was never like this. Enough work to score four baskets and what did Simmons have to show for it? Eric Lee, UNLV’s 6-foot-10 center, deflected the shot off the backboard.

A moment later, Lee had a move of his own and left Simmons flat-footed. Lee took a pass and finished with a dunk. Simmons shook his head.

Welcome to the big pond, Kev.

A year ago, Simmons had marquee status at UC Irvine, where he was Big West Freshman of the Year in 1995 and earned second-team all-conference honors last season. He could do pretty much as he pleased around the Big West, at least when it pleased him.

This season, he’s not even a member of the chorus on a well-stocked UNLV roster and must wait a year before finding if the move was worth it. Until then, all he can do is practice--against players who remind him from time to time that he is in a different league.

“Back home, I always played against guys who were good,” said Simmons, who grew up in Brooklyn. “This is no different. It hasn’t been hard, it’s just I have to play harder.”

Simmons, a 6-foot-7 forward, followed UNLV out of the Big West Conference and is now in a much deeper talent pool. The question is whether he is in over his head.

“If Kevin works hard, no one will keep him out of the starting lineup,” UNLV Coach Bill Bayno said. “The only thing that is going to keep Kevin out of the lineup is if he doesn’t pick up his intensity. He’s been lazy because he’s been allowed to be lazy. He has all year.”

If that sounds like a challenge, it is.

But for the first time, Simmons is assured nothing, certainly not a starting spot next season.

He shares practice with a top-10 recruiting class. Bayno, in his second season, may not yet have UNLV on on the road to the Final Four, but the program is on the road to recovery. The Rebels, now in the Western Athletic Conference, may even reach the NCAA tournament for the first time since a guy named Tarkanian was coach.

Keon Clark, a 6-11 junior, was considered the top community college center last season. Tyrone Nesby, a 6-6, 230-pound junior, was ranked second among community college power forwards. On top of that, Lee is only a sophomore and is expected to have a big year after missing all but two games last season because of a back injury.

Coming next season is Issiah Epps, a 6-10 center/forward who did not meet academic requirements this year.

All of which means Simmons must earn a job instead of taking one off a silver platter.

“One of the things we were concerned about was that Kevin was coming from a program where he was ‘The Man’ ” said Rebel assistant coach Greg Vetrone, who was an assistant at Irvine.

“He could do whatever he wanted for the next two years. So was he going to come here and think he’s ‘The Man’ and walk around with airs? Or was he going to come in here and work hard, make himself stronger and make himself better?”

The answer wasn’t clear on first sight. Simmons showed up weighing 258 pounds. By the time practice started, he was a trim 230 after spending the summer in Las Vegas working out. He was ready to play. Problem is, as a redshirt, he can’t.

“When the games start, I’ll be OK,” Simmons said. “It will feel more like I’m playing at the games. I can cheer the guys on. It’ll be fun. The hard part is sitting out. I’ve never sat out before.”

Given the choice, who would be crazy enough to sit him?

“Kevin has a very high basketball IQ,” Bayno said. “He’s a tremendous talent.”

If that sounds like a stock answer, it is.

But what else can you say about Simmons’ potential? Talent has never been the question. Simmons had so much, in fact, that he spread it around three high schools and one prep school before coming to Irvine.

There, he was a recruiting coup for Coach Rod Baker and a player to point at when wooing other recruits. Baker and Vetrone spent a great deal of time convincing Simmons to attend Irvine. And, for awhile, it paid off.

Simmons averaged 14.9 points and 7.7 rebounds as a freshman and 15.0 and 7.2 last season as the Anteaters (15-12) put together their best season since 1986, finishing tied for second in conference.

“We were basically building the whole program around Kevin,” said Vetrone, who left Irvine after Simmons’ freshman year.

Baker, who has declined to talk about any former players, apparently did all he could to accommodate Simmons’ wishes. Simmons wanted to be moved to the perimeter to improve his chances of making the NBA. Baker obliged and Simmons showed he had the skills to succeed. He proved to be a decent ballhandler and his outside shooting was accurate. He also was very effective slashing to the basket.

Still, there was only so much that could be done.

“Irvine had a lot of walk-ons and I was practicing against walk-ons,” Simmons said. “After awhile, that gets boring.”

It also didn’t help that Simmons struggled to stay eligible. Irvine provided as much academic assistance as possible and while it helped to a point, Simmons still felt lost in the classroom.

“I would always go into a test wondering if I was going to pass,” said Simmons, who was a social ecology major at Irvine.

Said Vetrone: “The competition at Irvine in the classroom is scary. He saw himself each year having to struggle to be academically eligible.”

Las Vegas, Simmons said, is different.

“If there’s a test on Monday, everyone who has something to do with academics is there to pitch their little penny and help out,” said Simmons, who is majoring in criminal justice. “I go in and take the test with a clear head.”

Lori Friel, academic advisor for men’s basketball, said Simmons has no problems with eligibility at this time and, “could do really well academically.”

So, maybe at UNLV, the basketball court is the only place left for Simmons to prove himself.

“The first day of practice, Kevin took a charge and I teased him about it being the first one in his life,” Bayno said. “Right now, Kevin does not know how to play hard. He has never been asked to play defense before. He has always been allowed to score. We’ve got to get him to take some pride in his defense and become an emotional leader.”

If that sounds like a motivational tactic, it is.

These shortcomings have been noted by other coaches, even some whose teams Simmons pushed around.

Simmons had 24 points--making all four of his three-pointers--and 15 rebounds in a 72-54 victory at Pacific last season. Two months later, against the same team, Simmons made four of 13 shots, scored 13 points and had four rebounds in an 80-74 loss.

“I thought Kevin tried to turn it off and on too much,” Pacific Coach Bob Thomason said. “He was great against us up here, but was average down there.

“To be a great player, he has to be competing all the time and competing with his teammates, not just worrying about doing things for himself. I just didn’t see him bringing it every night.”

Numbers support that claim.

Simmons, returning home to New York last year to play in front of friends and family, had 24 points and nine rebounds in a victory over St. John’s. He had 23 points and 11 rebounds against USC.

But in a five-day span last February against Long Beach State and New Mexico State, he was two for 20 from the field and scored eight points. And he scored 12 points and had five rebounds against San Jose State in the first round of the Big West Tournament when the Spartans upset the Anteaters.

It was Simmons’ last game at Irvine.

“I wanted to get to a program where we had a chance to do some things we probably couldn’t do at Irvine because of the type of players we had there,” Simmons said.

Simmons visited St. John’s, but that was too close to home. He had spent his childhood dodging drugs, and bullets, in Brooklyn and saw the dangers in returning.

“I don’t think I would have made it there,” Simmons said. “I probably would have been influenced by the guys around there and wouldn’t go to class much. I would be getting into all kinds of trouble.”

The only other school he considered was UNLV. He not only would be reunited with Vetrone, but also Jermaine Smith, a long-time friend.

“I always had people telling me what the good deal was in basketball,” Simmons said. “People told me to do this and do that. I pretty much did it their way the first go-around and they didn’t really steer me wrong. I wanted to make this decision on where I thought my talent would be good enough.”

Whether that decision was the right one is still to be seen.

“Kevin has to prove himself this year,” Bayno said. “He’s going against our guys in practice and he’s going to have to play very hard every day.”

If that sounds like tough competition, it is.

Simmons has no illusions about being the center of attention. On the other hand, he does paint a pretty picture with all the talent around him.

“Look at Kentucky last year,” Simmons said. “They had 10 guys who could start anywhere and won the national championship. If we jell, it could be real big for us.”

Just where Simmons fits into that picture is still developing.