North Fulton folks might soon see one of their own hooping in the NBA.
After one season at Arizona, St. Francis graduate Kobi Simmons is declaring for the NBA Draft.
Simmons, a 6-foot-5 guard who was named the AJC's prep Player of the Year in 2016, started in 19 games for the Arizona Wildcats and played in all 37. In his final game for Arizona — a Sweet 16 loss to Xavier and his childhood friend Kaiser Gates — Simmons played for five minutes off the bench, notching five points and two rebounds.
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"I have enjoyed my time at Arizona very much," Simmons said in a statement. "I would like to thank my teammates, coaches and our great fans for their support and effort in making my year truly a special one. Bear Down."
Simmons averaged 8.7 points, 1.6 rebounds and two assists per-game for the Wildcats in the 2016-17 season. He scored in double-digits in 16 games for Arizona.
The former McDonald’s All-American who scored more than 2,400 career points and won two state titles at St. Francis, had his best college game on Jan. 21. The Wildcats topped then-No. 3 UCLA by 11 points and Simmons tallied 20 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
DraftExpress projects Simmons to be the 51st pick in the NBA Draft, which would make him a member of the Denver Nuggets where he would join former St. Francis teammate Malik Beasley.
NBA Draft expert Jonathan Givony wrote of Simmons on March 23: "NBA scouts like Simmons' talent-level but have major concerns about his intangibles, especially considering how much development he still needs in terms of his skill-level and basketball IQ."
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