SCOUTING REPORT: #BRUCESIMMS aka 'Cut Em Loose Bruce'
"Growing up in the 90's era, the #competition was off the charts! I felt like I wasn't getting the same opportunity that other players were. I was very #determined to get better! So, everyday I went out and worked on my game. Shooting, ball-handling drills, and conditioning. You name it, I did it. Whatever it took to be a better basketball player."
-Bruce Simms
The very first #defensiveassignment that I ever had to face came in the form of one of my childhood friends, and a friend of mine till this day-Bruce Simms. Bruce & I grew up in the same neighborhood, (#PattersonProjects in the #SouthBronx) and #competed on a daily basis. That era of basketball in the late 80's and 90's was amazing. The level of talent was insane. You had three projects within a 5 min radius, (Patterson, #MottHaven, and #Mitchel) and all we wanted to do was play basketball all day. That was our high. That was our thrill. Nothing else mattered. We played basketball all day long. We only took a 10 minute break at some point to get water from the #firehydrant, or go to the store to get a 50 cent juice that four dudes had to share. (Sorry, Gatorade didn't exist. If it did, it wasn't in the budget-lol.) We were all friends off the court, but when we were on it-we wanted to kill one another!!! This is the era of '#YoungLife', '#TS Bucks', '#MilbankFlyers', '#Gauchos', and '#Riverside'. To be considered one of the best, you had to be able to not only make one of these teams-you had to produce! Bruce Simms was one of the best and he held his own everywhere that he played.
'Cut Em Loose' Bruce' was no joke. He had the total #offensivepackage-very strong physically & mentally. In terms of physical tools, he was very fast, explosive, and had a lot of #bounce! I always admired his #athleticism. His #handle was very strong. #Adept at attacking the basket with either hand. All NYC guards were able to break you down and get to the basket, but what separated Bruce was the fact that he possessed a smooth jumper. You had to respect his ability to #catchandshoot. However, if you #closedout to hard, or played him to close-he would blow by you and #pullup. Bruce was a handful to guard. He would dominate and score in bunches. Even though he could score the ball so well, he was also a great #passer. On certain days, you just had to hope that he missed. That was your only chance of being able to contain him. Trying to intimidate Bruce physically wouldn't work, because he was strong as a bull and mentally tough. He wasn't going to back down from a fight/challenge. I probably never told him this, but that's the quality that I admired about him the most!
Ultimately, B. Simms was the first offensive weapon that I really had to mentally prepare for everyday. He would literally embarrass you. Playing against Bruce made me a better defensive player by default. If I could challenge him and make him work for every point he scored-I did my job. You couldn't let him get any easy buckets. If I forced him to take a tough shot and he made it, I was ok with that. Mr. Simms was just that good of an offensive player. The name Bruce Simms rings bells all across the five boroughs to true basketball heads. He dominated at #JaneAddams high school & #WestchesterCommunityCollege, before he earned a #Division1 scholarship to #MercerUniversity. My guy continues to play recreation hoops today, and can still get buckets. Off the court, Bruce is a great family man, as well as a successful role model residing in NYC!
Thank you 'Cut Em Loose Bruce'! You were that driving offensive force that pushed me to the limit every single day. You always challenged me, and never let me off the hook. Guarding you helped me become a '#defensivespecialist'-even though I know you didn't realize the effect that you had on me. You were a bad man brother! Thank you friend!!!
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST DEFENSIVE STRATEGY: You have to be arms distance at all times. Sense of urgency on the close out, however you can't crowd him or he will blow by you with either hand. Try to force him to his weaker hand, (left hand) even though it isn't really a weakness. You have to be physical with him, even though he thrives off of physical play. Best case scenario, you have to live with him taking #contested 2's & 3's. Can't allow him to get to the rim where he can finish with either hand and get his teammates involved. That's where he is most effective! MUST DENY him and make him work to get the ball. Keep it out of his hands and make others try to make plays. That's your best option!!!
Contact Info:
1-833-LOCK-U-UP
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