Simmons signs with Purdue NW
Forest Park star joins GLIAC school
CRYSTAL FALLS — Forest Park senior Mercedes Simmons signed a National Letter of Intent Wednesday evening to continue her academic and athletic career at Purdue University Northwest, a NCAA Division II school located about 25 miles southeast of Chicago in Hammond, Ind.
“It’s super exciting,” Simmons said after signing with family and former coaches inside Eddie Chambers Memorial Gymnasium. “I’ve always wanted to do this since I was like a freshman, and now to be signing and have it sink in that I am going to be playing college basketball. It’s exciting.”
Simmons, originally from Anchorage, Alaska, didn’t even start playing basketball until she moved to the area in seventh grade. She was contacted by a number of colleges, but chose Purdue Northwest after a visit to the campus.
“They made the best offer, and when I went to visit the campus, it was just an instant match,” she said. “I felt it, like I knew this was the one. And they had the right major.”
Simmons, a 6-foot-1 center for the Lady Trojans, plans to major in sports psychology. On the court, she’ll stay in the same position for head coach Courtney Locke’s Pride.
“They see potential for me in that position,” Simmons said.
The Pride compete in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with Ferris State, her next choice for college. Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech also play in the GLIAC.
With the NLI signing out of the way, Simmons says she is excited to focus on the season ahead with the Lady Trojans.
“I want to go far this year,” she said. “We have a lot potential this year, and I want to push everyone to get to that spot and have a good end of the season.”