Jasmine Simmons — Demopolis High School — The Demopolis Times Athlete of the Year nominee
Published 12:00 am Saturday, April 19, 2008
Class: Senior
Sports: Softball, basketball and volleyball
Athlete on Athlete: &8220;It&8217;s a blast. We have been so close all the years we&8217;ve been playing together. She brings happiness. She tries hard at everything. She doesn&8217;t jump on anybody. When somebody does bad, she picks them back up.&8221; &8212; DHS softball player Morgan Patterson.
Coach Speak: &8220;Jasmine&8217;s a tremendous, athletic young lady. I look at her as my coach on the floor. I hate to see her go, but she&8217;s going to make somebody a very good point guard in the fall somewhere.&8221; &8212; DHS basketball coach Tony Pittman
The Skinny: Jasmine Simmons doesn&8217;t just play three sports, she is really good at all of them. But it is basketball and softball that will likely offer her a significantly reduced cost on her collegiate education. She served as the unquestionable floor general of the Tiger basketball team, averaging 14 points, six assists and nearly five steals per game as a senior. On the softball field, she brings a nearly unparalleled athleticism to the shortstop position and is a regular kleptomaniac on the base paths, swiping 18 bags thus far this season. At the plate, the Tiger leadoff hitter has six doubles, one triple, one homerun, 11 walks and a .333 batting average. She has also crossed home plate 20 times on the year.
Still, despite her gaudy numbers and breathtaking athleticism, it is Simmons&8217; demeanor that has endeared her to teammates, coaches and fans. Her humble yet confident approach to every game, every at-bat, every situation has helped earn her recruiting attention from schools such as Shelton State, UWA, ECC and Alabama Southern. While she isn&8217;t certain what sport she&8217;ll play at the next level, it is a certainty she will play at the next level. And even though she may not acknowledge it, Jasmine Simmons has more than earned her place among the Athlete of the Year nominees.