Men’s Basketball Announces the Signing of Troy Simons
6/8/2018 10:58:00 AM | Men's Basketball
KENT, Ohio – The Kent State men's basketball program has announced the signing of Troy Simons to its 2018 recruiting class. He will sit out the 2018-19 season due to NCAA transfer regulations and be eligible for the 2019-20 season.
"I'm really excited about Troy and what he can bring to our program, not just next year, but this year during the year he has to sit out," said Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff. "He is an ultra-competitive player and can really score the ball, and I'm happy for him to be a part of our program."
Simons comes to Kent State via New Mexico, where he spent this past season in a Lobos uniform. He averaged 9.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while playing in 31 games on a team that reached the Mountain West Conference Tournament Championship game. Simons provides Kent State with a three-point shooting threat, as he drained 53 treys on 36.3% shooting last season. He poured in a career-best 24 points on the road at Wyoming in one of the toughest road environments in the Mountain West. He is a stifling defender as well and led the Lobos with 52 steals. Â
Prior to his stop at New Mexico, Simons played two seasons at Polk State where he was the NJCAA scoring champion in 2016-17, averaging 26.3 points per game. While in the junior college ranks, he was named first team All-Suncoast Conference and to the FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII All-State Team. He also participated in the 2017 NJCAA Men's Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game.
Simons attended Renaissance Christian Academy in his native Pittsburgh, where he was a dual-sport athlete excelling at wide receiver on the gridiron as well as on the hardwood. The athletic 6-foot-3 guard possesses an impressive 39-inch vertical leap.
