Oregon head women’s basketball coach Kelly Graves announced Tuesday the hiring of former Washington standout and 14-year pro Tre Simmons as the Ducks’ new assistant coach.
Simmons enjoyed a 14-year professional career overseas, playing in Greece, Spain, Israel, Czech Republic, Russia, Puerto Rico and France after he completed his collegiate career at Washington, where he was an All-Pac-10 First Team selection in 2004-05. He began his collegiate career at Odessa College in 2001-02 before playing at Green River Community College in 2002-03.
“Throughout his entire collegiate and professional career, Tre has exemplified leadership,” Graves said. “His energy and passion are contagious, and our team will love being around him. Tre has an innate ability to connect with people. That, in addition to his deep knowledge and love for the game, make him a tremendous coach and an ideal fit for our program.”
Simmons, a Seattle native, played two seasons for the Huskies, averaging 16.0 points and 4.8 rebounds a game while shooting 45.2 percent from the floor (41.7 percent from three) his senior season. He helped Lorenzo Romar’s squad reach the Sweet 16 of the 2005 NCAA Tournament. As a junior, Simmons averaged 10.8 points per game with a 44.9 field goal percentage.
Simmons drained a then-program-record 80 3-pointers during the 2004-05 season. The mark currently stands as the third-most 3-pointers in a season in UW history. In just two seasons, his 128 made threes sit as No. 10 in program history.
“I’m very excited and honored to get the opportunity to coach a great group of young ladies,” said Simmons. “The coaching staff has shown me nothing but gratitude and I am thrilled to join this coaching staff and program. I want to thank Coach Graves for believing in me and wanting me to be part of his team. It’s time to work!”
Graduating from Garfield High School in Seattle, where he averaged 13 points and eight rebounds as a senior in 2000, Simmons guided the Bulldogs to the state semifinals. He went on to star at Odessa College, putting up 12.4 points and 5.1 boards a game in his freshman campaign.
He led the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges in scoring at 29.3 points per game during his lone season at Green River C.C. Simmons twice eclipsed the 50-point plateau, with a career-high 51 coming against Pierce Community College.
During his career overseas, Simmons won seven combined championships in the Israeli Super League and Czech NBL. He also claimed the Euro Challenge title once and took home four most valuable player awards.
https://goducks.com/news/2023/7/25/womens-basketball-simmons-hired-as-assistant-wbb-coach.aspx
Tagged with: Oregon PAC-12
