Saugatuck basketball player Brook Simpson chooses NCAA Division I program
Brook Simpson had a lot to prove after coming back from a knee injury and switching schools.
Simpson proved what she had before the injury - that she was one of the best basketball players in the state.
She earned all-state honors at Saugatuck this past season, was The Holland Sentinel Defensive Player of the Year, and will now turn her attention forward to college basketball.
Simpson committed to Bowling Green State University on Sunday, choosing the NCAA Division I program in the Mid-American Conference.
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"First off it was closer to home and is in a conference that my friends and family can watch," Simpson said. "Secondly, the entire staff just took over at Bowling Green. The head coach and an assistant coach are former WNBA coaches. One who coached Dawn Staley (head coach at South Carolina) and coached alongside of her at South Carolina. There's another coach there that will be working with me on player development. She has an extensive basketball background. She played in the WNBA and overseas. They will get me to become the best player I can be. The entire coaching staff is going to take this program to a whole new level, and I wanted to be a part of that."
Simpson originally committed to Dayton, another Division I program in Ohio, but before this season started decided to de-commit and leave her options open, which ultimately has made her a Bowling Green State Falcon.
In her year at Saugatuck after transferring from Belding, she averaged 17.5 points, three rebounds, 3.25 assists, 3.7 steals and five deflections per game. She also had 22 blocks as a guard.
"Such a privilege to be her coach for her senior year," Saugatuck coach Kevin Tringali said. "Her journey is remarkable. She is so humble and unassuming and to see Brook work so hard to get back to where she was prior to her injury was just special. Brook is the most athletic young lady I've ever coached. Her skill sets are at an elite level as she was instrumental in elevating our program. We can't wait to follow her college career."
Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Saugatuck's Brook Simpson chooses NCAA Division I program
