Matt Simpson talks upcoming senior season, training and more
Plant City had a dangerous trio this past season with 2017 guard Tarik McKelphin, 2019 forward Justyn King and 2018 guard Matt Simpson.
King and Simpson will be the core leaders for Billy Teeden’s group. They work well off one another and for Simpson, he averaged 15.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 3.7 APG, 1.7 SPG as a junior.
The 6’0″, 170-pounder says he noticed his ability to get into the lane and finish improve two fold. Simpson also pointed to his rebounding as an ability that increased.
“I expect my role this season at Plant City to be a leader by setting the tone offensively and defensively and hopefully lead us to a district championship,” Simpson told Prep Hoops Florida.
The Raiders went 18-10 a year ago making an appearance in the Class 8A region quarterfinal.
Simpson has spent his summer focusing on lifting and getting stronger with trainer Shawn Faust. He also has made it a priority to further his ball handling and finish at the basket. He played his first summer for the Tampa Titans, which he says was enjoyable.
Starting his basketball life at age 8, Simpson alluded to his 3-point shooting, ball handling, rebounding, finish and motor as his biggest strength. He wants to improve his mid-range jumper, on ball defense and vocal aspect of his game.
No offers have come yet for Simpson but he’s drawn interest from Mercer, Lake Forest and Dickinson.
Division II/Division III is ideal for Simpson, but if he has a huge senior season on both sides of the ball, he might have a chance at a low Division-I offer. He’s a scorer and he made that known in a big way this past year.