Former Pac-12 Player Speaks to Team Rampage

Former University of Washington/St. Mary’s College basketball player Desmond Simmons, attended the Team Rampage 14 and under practice on Monday night. Simmons, who was born and raised in Vallejo, CA, has known Team Rampage Head Coach and Trainer Brandon Bracy,  since they were both in the 6th grade. They played in several local leagues together, and also went to the same middle school.

Being that Simmons was born and raised in Vallejo, he felt the need to give back and talk to the young athletes of the area. During the lecture, Simmons told the Team Rampage team, how important education is, and what it takes to get to the next level. “You have to be a basketball junkie”, is one of many quotes that Simmons stated at the practice. As Team Rampage prepares for another tournament after going 3-1 in the Vision Basketball Martin Luther King tournament, Coach Bracy felt that the team needed someone who has played at a high level in high school, college, and now professionally, to stop by and talk to the kids.

Simmons, who graduated from Salesian High School in 2010, has signed a contract to play profesionally in Australia. Simmons’s speech to the kids was very powerful because, it gave them more motivation and drive, to get to where Desmond Simmons is. With Desmond Simmons coming back and talking to the kids, Simmons will be the first of many different colleges or professional athletes that meet with Team Rampage.