New coach sees unlimited potential at Green Hill
Apr. 30—In Green Hill High School, Joseph Simmons sees a school with unlimited potential. GHHS sees its new girls' head basketball coach as someone who will embrace the Lady Hawks as part of the entire school community as they look to build on their first district championship.
The former Goodpasture coach met his new team Wednesday morning and will soon begin the process of holding tryouts and scheduling summer camps.
He inherits a team which went 12-16 last winter but got hot down the stretch, upset Lebanon in the District 9-4A semifinals and stunned undefeated Cookeville in the finals to win the school's first district championship in its second year. Two seniors graduated, but the Lady Hawks return Division I prospect Aubrey Blankenship and a solid rising sophomore class which includes district Freshman of the Year Sullie Gerik.
Simmons has not seen them play, even on video.
"I told them this morning a good thing for them is I haven't watched one of you play," Simmons said later Wednesday. "Honestly, everybody's got a clean slate. I think that's a good thing. It gives me a chance to evaluate. Obviously, you see things like that from social media and news outlets about the Blankenship kid and the (Savannah) Kirby girl and those young kids who stepped in... You read all that from outside, but I have not watched any video.
"I never had to get film of anybody they played 'cause we didn't have any common opponents. I'm excited to get over there to have practice and have tryouts this spring before we get in the summer-ball season."
While the Lady Hawks were finding their way last season, in a parallel universe, Simmons' Goodpasture Lady Cougars were going through some transition of their own, going 16-12, which was down from the 23-8 of the season before and the 30-1 in 2018-19, the high-water mark of his five years in Madison where he went 126-33 with three Division II-A state tournament appearances and two District 4-IIA Coach of the Year honors.
Prior to Goodpasture, Simmons, now 42, coached seven seasons at Marshall County (Ky.) where he went to the Kentucky state tournament three times. His assistant coach his first season (2010-11) was Don Walker, who coached Friendship Christian's boys basketball and baseball in the mid-1980s. Walker's FCS successor, Keith Edwards, was one of his assistants at Goodpasture.
Simmons began his coaching career with two years coaching boys at East Poinsett County in his native Arkansas. He also served as a junior college assistant at Wallace State in Alabama.
A native of Lake City, Ark., Simmons was actually born in a Memphis hospital because his dad was coaching a game in a town closer to Memphis than Jonesboro, Ark., which had the nearest hospital to their home. He played collegiately at Crowley Ridge College, then a junior college, in the Natural State and at Vennard College, a school which no longer exists, in Iowa before getting his bachelor's degree at Arkansas State.
He said he sees so much potential with the newness of Green Hill.
"From the outside looking in, just was very intriguing," Simmons said. "Honestly didn't know a lot about the school because we didn't play them, or play any common opponents. They reached out and asked if I'd be interested and I said 'absolutely'.
"I went over there. From the moment I drove onto the campus, I thought I was at a college or university. First impressions, that was awesome. Then I got to meet the administration, obviously the interview process. I thought it was a good fit. Facilities are second to none. I think it's set up for success for any kid who goes there, academically and athletically. They got all the resources available to them. I felt like the administration, from the vision, their values really aligned well with mine, and that was a big deal for me."
Athletic director E.J. Wood was the point person in the hiring process with principal Kevin Dawson and assistant principal Lee Nachand.
"I believe him to be a man of character," Wood said of Simmons. "Everyone I spoke with and who reached out to me sight unseen spoke of his character. I think his resume speaks to his coaching ability. People that I trust spoke to his character.
"He talked (to the players) to the idea of community. That's what also attracted him to Mr. Dawson, who made the hire... I think what attracted us to him ultimately was his view of community, what we're trying to build at Green Hill to where we kind of move from the line of we're trying to take care of my kids to the idea of taking care of our kids, and it's not a standalone program where we put ourselves on an island. Not that anybody is, but that's just what he's about, knowing who the volleyball coach is and team is, the track program, encouraging all athletes to participate in anything they are able to and taking care of them in that and not overloading them... The short is, I would call him an ultimate team guy. He even said it, he wants to be about the Hawk. He wants to help to communicate that no one person is bigger than our program. Our program will hopefully be here long after he is gone, which is hopefully a long time. He's got two young girls (Kennedy and Kylie) and he hopes to see them walk through our hallways."
