Aamir Simms
![]() Simms in March 2020 | |||||||||||||||
No. 25 – Reyer Venezia | |||||||||||||||
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Position | Power forward | ||||||||||||||
League | LBA | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born | East Orange, New Jersey | February 17, 1999||||||||||||||
Nationality | American | ||||||||||||||
Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||||||||
Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school | |||||||||||||||
College | Clemson (2017–2021) | ||||||||||||||
NBA draft | 2021: undrafted | ||||||||||||||
Playing career | 2021–present | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
2021–2022 | Westchester Knicks | ||||||||||||||
2022–2023 | Paris Basketball | ||||||||||||||
2023 | Denver Nuggets Summer League | ||||||||||||||
2023–present | Reyer Venezia Mestre | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Aamir Earl Simms (born February 17, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Clemson Tigers.
Early life and high school career
[edit]Simms spent his early childhood in East Orange, New Jersey, but moved to Palmyra, Virginia, in 2008 after his mother, Lateasha Jones, decided East Orange was too dangerous. He spent hours on the basketball court near the family's home, often playing deep into the night.[1] He scored 377 points as a freshman at Fluvanna County High School.[2] At an AAU Tournament, his performance drew the attention of Cade Lemcke, coach at the Blue Ridge School, and Simms decided to attend the school after receiving a scholarship.[1] He helped the team win a state championship as a sophomore.[2] As a senior at Blue Ridge, Simms averaged 13.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.[3] He helped the team win a second state title, contributing 16 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game against Miller. He was named the Central Virginia Player of the Year.[2] He committed to playing college basketball at Clemson over offers from more than a dozen schools.[1]
College career
[edit]Simms averaged 4.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game as a freshman.[4] He helped Clemson reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Kansas, 80–76.[5] As a sophomore, Simms averaged 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.[6] On November 5, 2019, Simms had his first double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds in a 67–60 loss to Virginia Tech.[7] He was named ACC Co-Player of the Week (alongside Tre Jones) on January 13, 2020, after leading Clemson in points (20), rebounds (8), assists (6), blocks (4) and steals (3) in Clemson's first-ever win at North Carolina, and hit a three-pointer with 3.5 seconds left in regulation to send the game to overtime.[8] On January 14, Simms scored a career-high 25 points to go along with nine rebounds in a 79–72 win over third-ranked Duke.[9] As a junior, he averaged 13.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, earning Third Team All-ACC honors. Following the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[10] He withdrew from the draft on June 1, returning for his senior season.[11] He averaged 13.4 points, 6.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game, winning Second Team All-ACC honors. He declared for the 2021 NBA draft and hired an agent, forgoing his final season of eligibility granted by the NCAA as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]
Professional career
[edit]After being undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Simms joined the New York Knicks for the 2021 NBA Summer League and averaged 3.8 points and 2.8 rebounds per game. On August 19, 2021, he signed with the Knicks.[13] However, he was waived on October 16.[14] In October 2021, he joined the Westchester Knicks as an affiliate player.[15] He averaged 11.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game. On July 29, 2022, he signed with Paris Basketball of the LNB Pro A.[16]
On July 19, 2023, he signed with Reyer Venezia Mestre of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA).[17]
National team career
[edit]Simms was a part of the Clemson team chosen to represent the United States in the 2019 Summer Universiade in Italy. The US received a gold medal after defeating Ukraine in the title game behind 12 points from Simms.[18] He played in all six games and led the team in scoring and rebounding with 15.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game.[19]
Career statistics
[edit]GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
College
[edit]Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017–18 | Clemson | 34 | 12 | 15.4 | .473 | .326 | .577 | 3.2 | .6 | .2 | .9 | 4.0 |
2018–19 | Clemson | 34 | 34 | 26.6 | .441 | .331 | .750 | 4.6 | 1.0 | .6 | .7 | 8.1 |
2019–20 | Clemson | 30 | 30 | 31.6 | .474 | .400 | .705 | 7.2 | 2.6 | 1.0 | .8 | 13.0 |
2020–21 | Clemson | 24 | 24 | 29.7 | .532 | .400 | .825 | 6.4 | 2.7 | .9 | .7 | 13.4 |
Career | 122 | 100 | 25.3 | .481 | .362 | .730 | 5.2 | 1.6 | .7 | .8 | 9.2 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Needelman, Joshua (February 15, 2019). "Clemson basketball star sees himself in young fan from same hometown in rural Virginia". Charleston Post and Courier. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ a b c Counts, Ron (April 1, 2017). "Central Virginia boys basketball player of the year: Blue Ridge's Aamir Simms". The Daily Progress. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Gordon, Mark (November 6, 2017). "2017-18 Clemson Basketball Season Preview: Frontcourt Analysis". Shakin the Southland. SB Nation. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Crumpton, Tony (June 21, 2018). "Clemson forward makes incredible full-court shot". TigerNet. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Raynor, Grace (March 23, 2018). "Clemson basketball hangs with Kansas, falls 80–76 in Sweet 16 to end historic season". Charleston Post and Courier. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Simms set for big season at Clemson". CBS 19 News. October 20, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Horne, Nolley lead Virginia Tech to 67–60 win at Clemson". ESPN. Associated Press. November 5, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Jones, Simms, Nolley Earn ACC Men's Basketball Weekly Honors". Atlantic Coast Conference. January 13, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Clemson gets rare ACC double in 79–72 win over No. 3 Duke". ESPN. Associated Press. January 14, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Shiers, Mike (March 31, 2020). "Former Blue Ridge star Aamir Simms enters NBA Draft". NBC29. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ "Clemson leading scorer Aamir Simms returning for senior year". ESPN. Associated Press. June 1, 2020. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Senkiw, Brad (May 1, 2021). "Aamir Simms Enters NBA Draft, Ends Clemson Career". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
- ^ "Knicks Sign Aamir Simms". NBA. August 19, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
- ^ "Knicks Waive Brandon Knight, Aamir Simms and M.J. Walker". NBA. October 16, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
- ^ "Westchester Knicks Announce Training Camp Roster". NBA. October 25, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2021.
- ^ "Paris Basketball lands Aamir Simms". Sportando. July 30, 2022. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
- ^ "Colpo Umana Reyer: firmato Aamir Simms!". reyer.it (in Italian). July 19, 2023. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ "Clemson basketball takes home the gold for the United States at the World University Games". NCAA. July 12, 2019. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
- ^ Hood, Nikki (July 14, 2019). "Clemson's Simms proud to wear the USA flag after gold medal win". TigerNet. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
External links
[edit]- Aamir Simms, Clemson Tigers website
- 1999 births
- Living people
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball players from Virginia
- Blue Ridge School alumni
- Clemson Tigers men's basketball players
- FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States
- Medalists at the 2019 Summer Universiade
- Paris Basketball players
- People from Palmyra, Virginia
- Power forwards
- Summer World University Games medalists in basketball
- Westchester Knicks players
- 21st-century American sportsmen