Isaiah Simmons 5’11 155 2021 Steward School
Isaiah is an extraordinary athlete with eye-popping quickness and explosiveness. One of the most athletic guards in the state! A true floor general in every sense of the word he is a great decision-maker knows how to run a team and raises the level of play of his teammates. Isaiah is a pass-first point guard with excellent court vision, a quick, crafty handle, and explosive bursts allowing him to get wherever he wants with the dribble whenever he wants! He creates passing lanes with his ability to slice into the lane and move defenders and does a great job creating offense for his teammates making pinpoint passes of all varieties and putting the ball where his teammates can be effective.
Isaiah is a ball-handling wizard using lightning-quick crossovers, inside out dribbles and between the legs dribbles and not only blows by his man off a dribble move but he can execute a dribble move in stride remaining quick and elusive. His explosiveness, abrupt starts and stops and quick change of direction moves allows him to be effective in confined spaces and in space he’s downright deadly with his ability to effortlessly and suddenly shift into another gear when attacking space. He knows how to change speeds effectively and demonstrates great body control as he slices through the lane in an elusive manner. His body control and upper body strength serve him well as a finisher where he can play through and around contact and displays creative finishing moves and a great touch. He is deadly in transition and knows how to keep defenders off balance using a variety of dribble moves, mostly inside out dribbles attacking a defender in space.
While so dangerous on dribble penetration, Isaiah can also beat you with the jumper. He can hit the catch and shoot jumper with a three-point range displaying sound mechanics and a quick release. Isaiah is very good off dribble pull-ups as the threat of his blow by quickness forces many defenders to back off him which enables him to get good looks at the rim where he makes defenders pay with good shooting efficiency especially in the mid-range. Even with defenders backing off they have found it nearly impossible to stop him once he changes directions and especially off dribble hesitations because of his explosive burst. Isaiah is also a defensive game-changer thanks to his elite athleticism and physical tools. A menace on defense because of his ability to contain the dribble and deny penetration on the ball while using his great quickness and anticipation in passing lanes for steals off the ball. He has the ability and the “tough as nails” attitude to be a lockdown defender as his sound mechanics, quick feet and upper body strength allows him to play in the offensive player’s bubble and not get beat. Isaiah is a highly regarded teammate because he sets the tone with his energy and effort. His success extends to the classroom as well where he is an honor roll student.
Isaiah currently holds offers from Canisius and Drake and has interest from Longwood, Maryland Eastern Shore and Richmond on a list that is sure to grow with Steward School in the midst of a strong season that finds them ranked among the top teams in Virginia in VISAA D2.