Meet Tafari Simms: the Hamilton product set to take over at University of Milwaukee
HAMILTON, Ontario — Born in Jamaica, built in Hamilton. Tafari Simms’ journey to the NCAA is one like no other.
Simms got his start on the court at just 14 years old by taking over the Canadian basketball scene with St. Jean de Brebeuf High School in Hamilton, Ontario (CAN). Here he helped lead the Braves to back-to-back HWCAA league titles in 2015 and 2016, and even took home the MVP in his final year with the team.
In Tafari’s last year of high school, he transferred over to HWCAA-rival; St. Mary’s Catholic High School and continued his brilliance on the court. He also played two seasons with Grassroots Elite Canada during this time, a GTA-based basketball academy with a renowned history for developing NBA talent. Not the least of which includes fellow ‘Canucks’; Cory Joseph, Dwight Powell, Nick Stauskas, Tristan Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.
Upon graduating from St. Mary’s, Tafari Simms was somewhat underrecruited, and (like many other Canadians) forced into going the JUCO route instead. Luckily, he was recruited by a school on the rise down in Perkinston, Mississippi: Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.
In his lone season with the established MACCC program, he averaged 9.3 points, and 5.3 rebounds per game on over 50% shooting from the field.
However, going into his sophomore season, Simms saw a far greater opportunity waiting for him at another WJCAC squad over in Snyder, Texas; Western Texas College. Here he would go on to start in 31 of 33 games, leading the Westerners to a 23-11 record in his first year with the team. Capping off the season averaging 11.8 points, and 6.8 rebounds per game on 48% from the field, 42% from deep, and 73% from the line.
Steadily building off the year prior, and finally starting to gain the recognition of NCAA scouts from across the country led to Simms making the biggest move of his career, and signing a National Letter of Intent to join the University of Milwaukee Panthers for the 2020-21 NCAA season.
Panthers Head Coach, Pat Baldwin said the following on landing the Canadian forward;
“The landscape of college basketball is changing and it was very important that we secure a skilled frontcourt player with versatility… We are extremely excited to add Tafari to our program. In evaluating Tafari, we grew increasingly enamoured with his ability to face up and score away from the basket. He can also attack off the bounce and utilize his unique skill set and athleticism to score around the block. He has a 6’11” wingspan and plays bigger than his size would indicate. His unique athleticism will allow us to play differently on the defensive end and mix up coverages.”
In Tafari Simms’ first (COVID-shortened) year with the Panthers, he saw action in 16 games off the bench averaging 7.9 points, and 4.1 rebounds per game on 45% from the field, 40% from deep, and 77% from the line. He also managed to lead the team in scoring on two separate occasions and enjoyed a major breakout game against IUPUI on Jan. 8 in which he led the team to a dramatic win with 32 points and six rebounds. Unfortunately, the team finished with a 10-12 record, and failed to make any noise in the Horizon League Tournament causing Simms and the Panthers to miss out on the 2021 NCAA Tournament.
With two years of college experience under his belt, and two years of eligibility to give Milwaukee, Tafari Simms seems to be in the optimal situation to take over at the next level.
Averaging just over 17 minutes a game, Tafari Simms has already established his spot within the lineup, and has successfully earned the respect and admiration of those around him. He also carries the most experience of any player on the roster at his position, and with a 6’7”, 212-pound frame, his potential will only further increase over the next two seasons.
With the 2021-22 NCAA season just around the corner, don’t be shocked to see another one of Hamilton’s finest leave their mark on the court.
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