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Lionel Simmons scored 1,539 points when hitting the hardwood for South Philadelphia High School, 2101 S. Broad St., making him the site’s all-time leading marksman, but the Queen Village product produced a different sort of point at his alma mater Saturday, one that has helped his evolution from eminent athlete to humble humanitarian.
“I bleed South Philly,” the 46-year-old alumnus said. “I want to see our communities become better, and I love to come back and help others to be successful because many people, especially folks affiliated with Southern, helped me along the way.”
The 1986 graduate returned to the Lower Moyamensing institution to mark the retiring of his No. 22 jersey. Forever focused on acknowledging others before himself, the 2014 South Philly Review Difference Maker agreed to appear only if Southern arranged to have his high school classmates present. With those figures and other backers beaming, Simmons, former coach Mitch Schneider and Southern personnel took to the court during halftime of a boys’ tilt for a ceremony.
“This is a special day for honoring a great man,” Principal Otis D. Hackney III said in helming the celebration. “We admire what you’ve done on and off the court and are proud to call you one of our own.”
Longtime basketball coach George Anderson handled the numeric portion of the proceedings, regaling the crowd with Simmons’ feats as a Ram, a La Salle University Explorer and a Sacramento King.
“These totals are absolutely amazing,” Anderson, who served as a gym teacher and track coach during Simmons’ Southern stint, said, noting that the small forward led the Public League in scoring as a junior and a senior, the latter campaign featuring an astounding 32.8 average. “After making South Philly proud, he went on to show the country his talent, too.”
Simmons gave a sample of his savvy as a sophomore, earning Third-Team All-League commendation. His upperclassman years, though, made his majesty quite evident, with the Rams advancing to the league title game in ’85, where they fell to Dobbins despite 18 points and 11 rebounds from their star. They topped away all but one foe the next year in earning 25 wins and the league title courtesy of a 66-64 Temple University-situated triumph over University City in which Simmons notched 21 points and 18 boards.
“We had a great run,” Saturday’s honoree said of his tenure, which included his claiming the ’86 Markward Award as the Public League’s top player. “I wanted to duplicate that feeling of camaraderie and dedication wherever I went.”
While matriculating at La Salle, the 6-foot-7 force made buckets his buddies, registering 3,217 points, a staggering amount that only two players, Louisiana State University’s “Pistol Pete” Maravich and Portland State’s Freeman Williams, have surpassed. Thrice the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Simmons earned four First-Team All Big 5 nods and three Robert V. Greasey trophies as the city series MVP. His Explorers made three NCAA Tournament appearances, with the national attention helping Simmons to garner consensus Second-Team All-American plaudits in ’89 and First-Team kudos in ’90. The latter year also saw him win the John R. Wooden Award and the Naismith College Player of the Year, leading the Sacramento Kings to tab him as a lottery pick, making the Queen Village native the seventh overall selection.
“Some guys who have great high school and college careers can’t really turn it on in the pros,” Anderson said. “That definitely wasn’t the case with Lionel, and his totals would have been even better if not for injuries.”
In seven seasons with the California club, Simmons played in 454 games, including 307 starts, averaging 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists. He earned All-Rookie First-Team recognition for averaging 18 points, 8.8 board and 4 helpers in ’90-’91, statistics that resulted in a second-place Rookie of the Year finish. That inaugural year will certainly stand out for fans, who can also commend him for his ’95 induction into the La Salle University Hall of Athletes, his ’96 enshrinement in the Big 5 Hall of Fame and his 2008 placement in the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, for numerical reasons, but it will also register for them because it initiated his philanthropic identity.
For nearly a quarter century, Courtyard Apartments, 1021 S. Fourth St., which now stands in place of the Southwark Plaza projects where he matured, has benefited from his generosity, with Halloween through Christmas an especially prosperous period for youngsters and families courtesy of parties, turkey giveaways, senior dinners and a holiday toy drive. Add a summer-based leadership program and basketball league, a book bag giveaway at Jefferson Square Park, 300 Washington Ave., and events in Point Breeze, where one can find his 22nd Street Cafe at 22nd and Wharton streets, and it becomes clear that Simmons has used his hoops hopes to inspire diverse dreams.
“I never want anything to be about me,” Simmons said shortly after athletic director Frank “Roscoe” Natale unveiled a banner with the athlete’s famous jersey emblazoned on it. “I love paying forward the kindness shown to me years ago.”
As he watched this year’s team destroy Parkway Center City, the mother of one roster member passed by and quickly thanked him for encouraging her progeny to prosper. Simmons flashed his infectious smile and nodded to the matriarch.
“Southern is always on my mind,” he said. “I feel humble to have this honor.”
Contact Managing Editor Joseph Myers at jmyers@southphillyreview.com or ext. 124.
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