When you hear the term “late bloomer,” 6’3 senior Myles Simmons of Herron High School in Indianapolis clearly comes to mind. Simmons started his high school career as a 5’7 freshman at Park Tudor High School. He was the starting junior varsity point guard for Coach Ed Schillings program. This sophomore year he played on both the varsity and JV team. However, entering his junior year, Simmons grew to 6’0 and transferred to Herron High School. During his junior year, he averaged 10 PPG and 5 APG.
Herron High School eventually loss to the eventual state champions Guerin Catholic in the sectionals. After the high school season, Simmons played with Indiana Elite that was coached by former IUPUI coach Don Carlisle. He averaged 18 PPG and dished out 4 APG for his travel ball team. Simmons entered his senior year and grew another two inches over the summer. He now stood at 6’2 and received an invitation to play in the inaugural Indiana Top 80 held Saturday, October 4th at Lawrence Central in Indianapolis, Indiana.
The Indiana Top 80 was an invitation only camp and the best players across the state were in attendance. National names like Kyle Guy, Kris Wilkes, Jaron Jackson, and Joey Brunk were in attendance. The 6’3 Simmons averaged 16 PPG at this prestigious event. In our Indiana Top 80 report, we wrote, “Simmons is a very consistent player. He is a really good team player and passes extremely well out of the drive. Simmons is an attacking guard that plays outstanding team basketball. His shot selection was impressive and occasionally would knock down a pair of threes in each game. Simmons showcased an all around game and his senior season should help determine the appropriate level of play. He can do a little bit of everything well and should see his recruitment pick up.”
The young season has started for Herron High School and Simmons has been playing at an extremely high school. In the three early games, he is averaging 20 PPG, 4 APG and 3 SPG. More importantly, Simmons sports an impressive 3.0 GPA at a high ranked college preparatory school. Simply put, Simmons is getting it done on and off the court. Currently, Simmons is getting interest from several D2 and NAIA schools, we strongly feel he is still flying under the recruiting radar and has yet to reach his full potential. While Simmons is an effective scoring PG, he is an excellent on ball defender with a high basketball IQ. Simmons can do a lot of little things well and his performance at the Indiana Top 80 event proved he could play with other D1 players. In the past 18 months, Simmons has grown from 5’7 late in his sophomore year to 6’3 in his senior year. And to make things even more attractive, he still looks like he has room for more growth.
So often, young players may fall through the cracks and not get recruitment at the appropriate level. Myles Simmons has been the ultimate late bloomer that has seen his growth on the court dovetail with his physical growth. He’s a long and lanky 6’3 and has tremendous upside and potential. Right now, he does need the appropriate college coaches to check him out. With his outstanding performance at the Indiana Top 80, he should have many coaches knocking on his door.