Marty Simmons

Last updated
Marty Simmons
Current position
TitleHead coach
Team Eastern Illinois
Conference OVC
Record28–66 (.298)
Biographical details
Born (1965-02-21) February 21, 1965 (age 59)
Lawrenceville, Illinois, U.S.
Playing career
1983–1985 Indiana
1986–1988 Evansville
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1990–1996 Evansville (assistant)
1996–1997 Wartburg
1997–2002Evansville (assistant)
2002–2007 SIU Edwardsville
2007–2018Evansville
2018–2021 Clemson (asst. to the HC)
2021–present Eastern Illinois
Head coaching record
Overall310–314 (.497)
Tournaments3–2 (NCAA Division II)
1–2 (CBI)
7–3 (CIT)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
CIT (2015)
GLVC (2006)
Awards
2× First-team All-MCC (1987, 1988)
Illinois Mr. Basketball (1983)

Martin Ray Simmons (born February 21, 1965) is an American basketball coach and former player. He is the head men's basketball coach at Eastern Illinois University, a position he has held since 2021. [1] Simmons served as the head men's basketball coach at Wartburg College from 1996 to 1997, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville from 2002 to 2007, and the University of Evansville from 2007 to 2018. As a high school player, Simmons was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 1983. He played college basketball at Indiana University Bloomington and Evansville.

Contents

High school

Simmons was born and raised in Lawrenceville, Illinois, and attended Lawrenceville High School, graduating in 1983. While attending high school, Simmons led the Indians to consecutive 34–0 seasons and Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Class A state championships, becoming one of the most celebrated players in Illinois prep history. Because of Simmons' ability to "carry" his team the nickname of "Mule" was given to him during his junior year. His 2,986 career points were the third most in Illinois history when he graduated in 1983. Simmons played for coach Ron Felling, who went on to become an assistant coach at Indiana University.

In 2006, Simmons was voted as one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament, a group of former players and coaches in honor of the 100th anniversary of the IHSA boys basketball tournament.

College

After high school, Simmons spent his first two years of college playing for Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers. During his freshman year, he was an integral part of the Hoosiers' Elite Eight run in the 1984 NCAA tournament. His 1985 team at Indiana finished second in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT). After Simmons' sophomore year, however, he transferred to the University of Evansville to play for former Indiana assistant coach Jim Crews. Crews made Simmons the team captain for the Purple Aces, even though he had to redshirt the 1985–86 season. When Simmons became eligible, he immediately helped turn around the Evansville program. During the 1986–87 season he averaged 22.4 points per game and led Evansville to a first place tie in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. During his senior year, Simmons finished sixth in the nation in scoring at 25.9 points per game, and finished ninth in balloting for the Associated Press College Basketball Player of the Year. Evansville posted a 21–8 record in 1988 and recorded a first-round win over Utah in the NIT. Simmons was named to the first team all-MCC in both of his seasons at UE. Despite playing only two seasons at Evansville, Simmons ranks 22nd all-time with 1,265 points.

Coaching career

After graduating from Evansville, Simmons played the 1988–89 season for the La Crosse Catbirds of the Continental Basketball Association. During the 1989–90 season, while playing for the Illinois Express, Simmons made the World Basketball League all-star team.

After being a part-time assistant coach for Evansville from 1990 to 1996, Simmons became the head coach at Wartburg College, an NCAA Division III school in Waverly, Iowa, for the 1996–97 season. Simmons returned to the University of Evansville the next season as a full-time assistant coach, and stayed at Evansville until becoming the head coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in April 2002. In 2007, after five years of coaching while producing a record of 88–59 for the Cougars, Simmons once again returned to Evansville, this time as head coach. He coached the Aces for 11 seasons, compiling a record of 184–175 before being fired following the 2017–18 season. In July 2018, Simmons accepted an assistant coaching position under his longtime friend, Brad Brownell, for the Clemson Tigers. [2] The two coached together at the University of Evansville from 1991 to 1992.

Simmons was hired by Eastern Illinois University on March 31, 2021, to take over as head coach for the men’s basketball program. [3]

Honors

Simmons was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Hall of Fame in 1994, [4] and the University of Evansville Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2007, Simmons was voted one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament, recognizing his superior performance in his appearances in the tournament. [5]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Wartburg Knights (Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference)(1996–1997)
1996–97Wartburg 10–147–9T–7th
Wartburg:10–14 (.417)7–9 (.438)
SIU Edwardsville Cougars [6] (Great Lakes Valley Conference)(2002–2007)
2002–03SIU Edwardsville 9–185–15T–9th
2003–04SIU Edwardsville 16–1211–9T–5th
2004–05SIU Edwardsville 23–915–52nd NCAA Division II first round
2005–06SIU Edwardsville 25–814–5T–1st (West) NCAA Division II Elite Eight
2006–07SIU Edwardsville 15–1210–95th (West)
SIU Edwardsville:88–59 (.599)55–43 (.561)
Evansville Purple Aces [7] (Missouri Valley Conference)(2007–2018)
2007–08 Evansville 9–213–1510th
2008–09 Evansville 17–148–10T–5th CIT first round
2009–10 Evansville 9–213–1510th
2010–11 Evansville 16–169–96th CBI second round
2011–12 Evansville 16–169–9T–3rd CBI first round
2012–13 Evansville 21–1510–84th CIT semifinal
2013–14 Evansville 14–196–12T–8th
2014–15 Evansville 24–129–95th CIT Champion
2015–16 Evansville 25–912–6T–2nd
2016–17 Evansville 16–176–128th
2017–18 Evansville 17–157–11T–7th
Evansville:184–175 (.513)82–116 (.414)
Eastern Illinois Panthers (Ohio Valley Conference)(2021–present)
2021–22 Eastern Illinois 5–263–1510th
2022–23 Eastern Illinois 9–225–1310th
2023–24 Eastern Illinois 14–188–107th
Eastern Illinois:28–66 (.298)16–38 (.296)
Total:310–314 (.497)

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amanda Levens</span> American basketball player and coach

Amanda Kay Levens is an American women's college basketball coach. She is currently the head coach at the University of Nevada. Previously, she was hired as head coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in 2008, when the school began a five-year transition to the NCAA's Division I. From 2012 to 2017, she was associate head coach at Arizona State before being hired at Nevada as head coach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harry Gallatin</span> American basketball player and coach

Harry Junior "The Horse" Gallatin was an American professional basketball player and coach. Gallatin played nine seasons for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1948 to 1957, as well as one season with the Detroit Pistons in the 1957–58 season. Gallatin led the NBA in rebounding and was named to the All-NBA First Team in 1954. The following year, he was named to the All-NBA Second Team. For his career, Gallatin played in seven NBA All-Star Games. A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, he is also a member of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the SIU Edwardsville Athletics Hall of Fame, the Truman State University Athletics Hall of Fame, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, two Illinois Basketball Halls of Fame, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Hall of Fame, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Hall of Fame, and the SIU Salukis Hall of Fame.

Lennox Forrester is an American college basketball coach and the former men's head coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). He was an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of Evansville after being fired by SIUE. He currently serves as the Executive Director at the Downtown Belleville YMCA in Belleville, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodney Watson</span>

Rodney Watson is an American basketball coach and the former head coach for the University of Southern Indiana. Watson succeeded Rick Herdes, who resigned following a scandal that ultimately resulted in suspension from postseason play for one year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SIU Edwardsville Cougars</span>

The SIU Edwardsville Cougars are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), located in Edwardsville, Illinois, United States. The Cougars' athletic program is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and competes at the NCAA Division I level. The SIUE mascot is Eddie the Cougar #57, and the school colors are red and white. Cougar teams have won seventeen NCAA national championships in five sports.

Lowell Hamilton is an American former basketball player.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball</span> College basketball team

The SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represents Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in the Ohio Valley Conference of NCAA Division I basketball. The Cougars play their home matches at the Sam M. Vadalabene Center located in the SIUE core campus in Edwardsville, Illinois.

Paula Jean Buscher is an American college basketball coach, previously the women's head coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Illinois. The SIU Edwardsville Cougars are members of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) and compete in the NCAA's Division I.

Garrett Ray Collins, known as Gary "Bo" Collins is a retired college head coach who coached the SIU Edwardsville Cougars baseball team from 1979 to 2012. His teams had 1028 career wins, making him the 56th winningest baseball coach in NCAA baseball and the seventh-highest winner among coaches in NCAA Division II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014–15 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2014–15 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by eighth year head coach Lennox Forrester, played their home games at the Vadalabene Center as members of the West Division of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 12–16, 8–8 in OVC play to finish in fourth place in the West Division. They lost in the first round of the OVC tournament to Eastern Illinois.

Jon Harris is an American college basketball coach who is the former men's head coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), an NCAA Division I program competing in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). A high school star at Edwardsville High School, Harris played collegiately at Marquette University. He was named the SIUE Cougars' new coach in April 2015 after spending thirteen years as an assistant in five different Division I programs. On March 11, 2019, SIUE announced that Harris' contract had not been renewed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015–16 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2015–16 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by first year head coach Jon Harris, played their home games at the Vadalabene Center as members of the West Division of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC). They finished the season 6–22, 3–13 in OVC play to finish in fifth place in the west division. They failed to qualify for the OVC tournament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018–19 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2018–19 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by fourth-year head coach Jon Harris, played their home games at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Illinois as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 10–21, 6–12 in OVC play to finish in a four-way tie for seventh place. As the No. 8 seed, they lost in the first round of the OVC tournament to Morehead State.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wessels (basketball)</span> College basketball player (b. 1938, d. 1994)

John M. Wessels was an American college basketball standout for Illinois in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A center, Wessels averaged 13.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in his three years of varsity basketball for the Fighting Illini, earning a varsity letter each year. Graduating from Rockford West High School, Wessels led the Warriors to the IHSA state championship during consecutive seasons in 1955 and 1956.

Nolden Gentry was an American college basketball standout for Iowa in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A forward, Gentry averaged 10.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in his three years of varsity basketball for the Hawkeyes, earning a varsity letter each year. Graduating from Rockford West High School, Gentry led the Warriors to the IHSA state championship during consecutive seasons in 1955 and 1956.

Cale Wassermann is the head coach of the SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's soccer team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Yaklich</span> American college basketball coach (b. 1976)

Luke Yaklich is an American college basketball coach and former men's basketball coach for the UIC Flames.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019–20 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team</span> American college basketball season

The 2019–20 SIU Edwardsville Cougars men's basketball team represented Southern Illinois University Edwardsville during the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Cougars, led by first-year head coach Brian Barone, played their home games in the First Community Arena at Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Illinois as members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 8–23, 5–13 in OVC play to finish in a tie for tenth place. They failed to qualify for the OVC tournament.

Brian Barone is the head coach or the men's basketball team at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), an NCAA Division I program competing in the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).

Larry Graham was an American college basketball coach and the former men's head coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE). He remains the SIUE leader in both total wins and winning percentage.

References

  1. ↑ "EIU Announces Marty Simmons As Next Basketball Coach". Eastern Illinois Athletics.
  2. ↑ "Ex-Evansville coach Simmons to join Clemson". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  3. ↑ Lindskog, Chad. "Former Evansville coach Marty Simmons hired by Eastern Illinois". Evansville Courier & Press.
  4. ↑ 1994 IBCA Hall of Fame Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ "100 Legends of Boys Basketball Tournament". Illinois High School Association. Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
  6. ↑ "SIUE Men's Basketball - Coaching Records". SIUE Cougars. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
  7. ↑ "2007-08 thru 2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedules". University of Evansville. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Illinois Mr. Basketball Award Winner
1983		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.