Monday was a busy day for head coach Mark Turgeon and the staff as they hosted 2022 point guard Quadir Copeland, 2023 guard Jahnathan Lamothe, 2023 forward Shawn Simmons, and 2024 five-star Kwame Evans Jr. For Simmons, today marked the first visit to College Park as the Terps’ staff exceed his expectations.
“It was cool. I liked the school and all that,” Simmons told Inside the Black and Gold. “It kind of surpassed what I was expecting, really. I didn’t know that much about the school so it was more than I expected. I didn’t know they had that many pros in the NBA and that many legends that the school had. The history is real good at the school, too.” Maryland extended an offer to Simmons back on March 13 as Monday marked the first time that he met with head coach Mark Turgeon, taking advantage of a pair of length conversations.
“I had a meeting when I first got there with coach Turgeon then when I left, we met again for another 20 minutes. It was a little bit of both why they like me and why Maryland. He likes how my game has been growing and how I’m not standing still as a player.” How does he believe he fits within the Terps’ style? “It’s the play style, I felt like they play a bit fast at times so it fits me well.”
Assistant coach Matt Brady has spearheaded the efforts in the early stages of Simmons’ recruitment. “Brady was the one that took us around campus and see how life is around the university. That’s the guy that really reached out to me first and kept in contact.” The two have built a strong relationship as Simmons admitted the two have vibed “really well” so far.
“He seems like he’s a great guy, great coach, and someone that builds that trust. He’s someone that guys want to play for.” What was the biggest takeaway from his visit? “Maryland is a good culture, it’s more of a family than a business.”
Simmons took in a trip to Rutgers last weekend with Lamothe and will visit an ACC school next week alongside his teammate. “I went to Rutgers last week with Jahnathan [Lamothe] like last Tuesday, that was cool. I think I’m going to Pitt and maybe one more but I know Pitt is on the 29th. My week now is getting busy with the live period so I might just do one more before the month is over.” In addition to the ability to take in campus tours with the dead period in the rearview mirror, June 15 marked the first time that college coaches could directly reach out to 2023 prospects as Simmons revealed his favorite aspect of that.
“It’s cool now because after a good game, you can get a call from the coach. They can call you and let you know how good you played, it’s pretty cool.”
Simmons is rated a three-star prospect and an 89 overall by 247Sports, sitting as the third-best prospect in Pennsylvania.