Michael Lee Simms
Michael was born in Chicago, Illinois. He was a very intelligent and bright young
man with a good heart and spirit and an infectious smile and laugh.
He played football and basketball, and grew up playing football with the Dolton Bears Little League and basketball with the Dolton Park District. Michael excelled in both sports, but his preference was basketball. He had a passion for basketball, and he loved the game.
Michael graduated from Scott Joplin Elementary School. He attended Whitney Young High School, and received his high school diploma from Cosmopolitan Preparatory School. He attended Elgin Community College where he played on the basketball team, and later transferred to Waubonsee Community College playing on the Waubonsee basketball team. He earned an Associate in Science degree from Waubonsee. Michael attended Florida Southern College (FSC) from 2005-2006 playing on FSC's basketball team also.
While at FSC, Michael appeared in a number of newspaper articles, including Simms Leads Moccasins Past Sailfish, 87-71.
After returning home from FSC, Michael played in a number of different basketball leagues in Chicago and in Michigan. In 2008, Michael played with the Chicago Throwbacks - a team associated with the Premier Basketball League. He later played for the International Basketball League, a semi-professional league, playing for the Battle Creek Knights in Battlecreek, Michigan and the Kankakee Soldiers in Kankakee, IL. Michael was instrumental in helping the Soldiers win their first championship.
Michael was also a basketball camp counselor and coached the AAU kids' basketball program that the Soldiers helped run. In addition, in late 2011, Michael was brought into the Phoenix Suns' training camp for a potential opportunity. Michael didn't see his dream of becoming an NBA player realized due to his untimely death. He died in a car accident on December 21, 2011; he was 27 years young.
Some of Michael's basketball highlights
