Northridge Drops Hornets After Simmons Drops Out

On a day center Jabari Simmons removed himself from the team and two days removed from a particularly lackluster loss, the Cal State Northridge men’s basketball team limped onto the court and dominated as it has only in Coach Bobby Braswell’s most fevered hallucinations.

Records were set, jaws dropped and hopes again were raised that a strong run by the Matadors in the Big Sky Conference tournament March 5-7 is more than another Braswell dream.

Northridge crushed Cal State Sacramento, 117-65, Saturday night behind a school-record 17 three-point baskets and a season-best 59.1% shooting. Six Matadors scored in double figures, but none had more points than Mike O’Quinn’s 19.

Point guard Lucky Grundy equaled a career high with 10 assists and senior center Kevin Taylor had a school-record five blocked shots and a season-high 11 rebounds. Seven Matadors made three-pointers.

Of course, there is no ignoring that Sacramento (1-23, 0-14 in Big Sky play) is one of the worst Division I teams in the nation.

And there is no ignoring that putting together a surge similar to last year’s run to the Big Sky tournament final will be more difficult for Northridge (10-14, 6-8) without Simmons, the team’s second-leading scorer (12.7 points per game) and leading rebounder (6.5).

The enigmatic Simmons, a 6-foot-7 junior transfer from Compton College, had a succession of problems. He was ejected once and was suspended three times for the first halves of games.

He did not start in a loss to Weber State on Thursday, and scored only four points on one-of-nine shooting in 22 minutes. Standing outside the locker room after the game, he spent about 30 minutes in deep conversation with his father, Zeke, a Ventura College counselor.

Each Matador player met individually with Braswell on Friday. During the coach’s meeting with Simmons, they agreed Simmons needed to resolve personal issues and probably will not return this season.

Braswell stressed that Simmons broke no team or school policies and that he plans to finish the academic quarter and return to the team next season.

“Basketball is not the most important thing for him to take care of right now in his life,” Braswell said.

Although he has been the Matadors’ most effective post player, the season did not begin well for Simmons. His girlfriend gave birth to their daughter the day of the Matadors’ opener at Arizona State on Nov. 16 and Simmons fouled out after being assessed a technical early in the second half.

Simmons is the second post player to leave Northridge. Brian Hagens, a junior transfer from New Orleans, was suspended Jan. 6 and will not return this season.