She’s probably the best girls’ basketball player to come out of Jersey City in over a decade, but Daisha Simmons is virtually an unknown in Hudson County circles.
“That’s okay,” Simmons said. “Out in Somerset County, I’m known pretty well. Give it time and I’ll be known here, too.”
Simmons, who is an All-State player and headed to Rutgers University on a full scholarship in the fall, has been toiling in virtual obscurity because she plays high school basketball at tiny Gill St. Bernard’s in the rural, picturesque setting of Peapack-Gladstone in Somerset County, some 45 miles west of Simmons’ home in downtown Jersey City.
Simmons attended P.S. 37 (Rafael Cordero School) and started her basketball career there. At the time, Simmons was being looked at as a possible local superstar and was considering attending any of a handful of local schools.
“I thought about going to St. Anthony, Marist, or Ferris,” Simmons said. “I really thought I would stay home.”
However, when Simmons was in seventh grade, she was introduced to Mergin Sina, the head coach at Gill St. Bernard’s. Sina, a former standout player himself, first at Seton Hall and later the University of Rhode Island, had developed a relationship with Simmons through AAU basketball.
“I didn’t even know where it was,” Simmons said of Gill St. Bernard’s. “I had no clue.”
But Simmons was ready to commit to Sina’s program, even if it meant a lengthy commute every morning.
“For a kid to make a decision like that, to travel two and a half hours there and back every day is amazing,” Sina said. “It had to be a challenge for her to get up every morning.”
Simmons got up every morning at 5:15 a.m. to begin her daily sojourn to Somerset County.
“I had to take two buses to the train to get to Newark, where the school bus picked us up,” Simmons said.
And after school and basketball practices were over, Simmons had to do it all over again, arriving back home in Jersey City usually around 8 p.m., but sometimes, like on game days, she gets home much later.
“At first, it was a little frustrating,” Simmons said.
And sometimes, the journey was certainly a bumpy ride.
“In the beginning, it was definitely hard,” Sina said. “She struggled with it. We had to work with her on it.”
“I knew it was going to be tough,” Simmons said. “It wasn’t easy at all. I really wanted to come back to Jersey City and transfer to some school here. But I eventually stuck it out. I just stayed committed to Coach Sina.”
Sina knew that Simmons was the kind of player who could change the face of his entire program.
“Daisha knew that this could be the springboard to something special,” Sina said. “In the end, it worked out for the best. She’s received a great education and is really motivated to be the best basketball player she can be. She has changed the total dynamics of everything. She scores, she rebounds, she defends. She has a knack of bringing her game to another level.”
Last Thursday, Simmons had a homecoming of sorts. She arrived at the Golden Door Charter School with her Gill St. Bernard’s teammates to face St. Anthony in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA Non-Public B state tournament.
Incredibly, Simmons was also going up against her younger sister, Nyquell, who plays for St. Anthony.
“I’ve been looking forward to this game ever since the brackets came out,” the elder Simmons said. “Playing against my sister made it better. I knew I was going to get a chance to play in front of a lot of family and friends.”
Simmons didn’t disappoint. She had a brilliant all-around game, getting a quadruple double in her return home to Jersey City. Simmons scored 21 points, had 11 assists, 10 rebounds and 10 steals, leading Gill St. Bernard’s to an easy 80-52 rout of St. Anthony to advance in the state playoffs.
After defeating St. Anthony, Simmons led her team past Morristown-Beard into the state sectional finals. In that 66-36 win, Simmons scored 23 points.
She’s clearly the best talent to come out of Jersey City since Tara Walker of Marist over a decade ago and maybe even Nyree Roberts, the former St. Anthony player to went on to play at Old Dominion and later the WNBA.
It’s just a shame that not many people from around these parts know of her talents or abilities. But they should know about Daisha Simmons. She’s the real deal.
“It took a little time, but she’s helped to put our program on the map,” Sina said. “We’re just a small little school. Not many people know about us. But every year, we built our schedule around having Daisha.”
Sina was asked if other Jersey City kids knew where Peapack-Gladstone is.
“Probably not,” he laughed. “They probably don’t even know if it’s in the United States. But she’s helped us come a long way. She’s a phenomenal player with all the talent in the world.”
And after the state playoffs are over and maybe Daisha Simmons is celebrating a state championship, she will get ready for the challenge ahead at Rutgers. At the very least, the commute will be much easier, as she’ll be suited nicely in some athletic dormitory.
“I’m looking forward to that,” Simmons said. “I’m glad I got the scholarship. It all definitely worked out. I’m glad I got a chance to come home and play. I knew there would be a lot of support here.”
At least some people knew that Daisha Simmons is truly a homegrown talent.
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.