By MATT JESSEN-HOWARD
INDIANAPOLIS — Kobi Simmons is ranked a top 20 player by all four major recruiting services, and it’s no surprise why. At the second session of Adidas Gauntlet, the athletic and long combo guard from Alpharetta (GA) St. Francis showcased his ability to both create for his teammates and score on all three levels.
Simmons — who is averaging over 16 points, three rebounds, and three assists — has attracted interest and offers from elite programs. According to Rivals.com, Simmons holds offers from Arizona, Auburn, Cincinnati, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kentucky, LSU, Marquette, Memphis, Mississippi State, Missouri, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas Tech, USC, Vanderbilt, Virginia, and Wake Forest, among others.
“It’s busy,” he told SNY.tv. “There are a lot of schools calling but probably Kentucky, Arizona, LSU, UNC, Georgia, Ohio State, and schools like that are recruiting me the hardest. It’s a good experience in the beginning, and I’ve learned a lot. But at some point it has to stop, and in the end I’m sure it’s hard.”
At the moment, Simmons has yet to schedule any visits, but is hoping to visit Arizona soon.
“I don’t have a timeline or any visits set up. The only visit I thought about was Arizona some time in June,” he said. “I like Arizona; they always have a good program. They offered awhile ago and just tell me how bad they want me, and how comfortable they would be with putting the ball in my hand. They told me a lot of stuff like that during our in-home visit this week. I like their style of play. There’s not really anything that separates Arizona, as I like all the schools that are recruiting me, but I’d like how I fit into their system.”
Arizona is one of just several schools wanting him to be a ball handler. At 6-foot-5, Simmons can play a variety of positions, but is attracted most to teams that will give him many touches.
“I see myself fitting in as a point guard in college,” he said. “I just like all the colleges whose guards push the ball.”
Kentucky, then, seems like a natural fit. John Calipari is known to like taller lead guards, and the Wildcats like to play an uptempo game to utilize their athleticism. Kentucky offered on April 13, and Calipari had an in-home visit with Simmons last Tuesday.
“I like just everything Coach Cal has said to me about Kentucky,” Simmons said. “He’s told me about their previous history and things like that. They’re obviously a great program and send almost all of their guys to the league.”
Ohio State head coach Thad Matta also visited Simmons’ home last week. Simmons took an unofficial visit to Columbus in September.
“I like Ohio State’s program a lot,” he said. “They contact me a lot, and their coaches are honest with me. I liked my visit up there, and I know their entire staff. There’s a lot to like about them. I mean look at what they did with D’Angelo Russell; that’s all I got to say.”
Simmons also had recent home visits with Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim and Georgia’s Mark Fox.
“[Syracuse] was good,” Simmons told Scout.com. “I didn’t know coach Boeheim coached for 40 something years. He has a lot of experience of what to say because he’s doing what for way for so long.”
As for Georgia, he told Scout: “It was a great,” he said of the meeting. “I’m comfortable with coach Yasir [Rosemond]. That was my second time sitting down with coach Fox. He came in and told me a lot. I’m getting to know him better and that relationship keeps building.”
Simmons said he doesn’t have any sort of timeline for his recruitment. When it comes time to make a decision, he listed academics, atmosphere, and his relationship with the coaches as important factors.
Photo: 247Sports.com
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