Jaaron Simmons stood alone in a silent arena. The crowd stood in awe.
The free throws continued to pile on. One after another, after another.
When he was finally finished — with 12.5 seconds left — Simmons slowly walked off the court as Ohio fans erupted. The masterpiece was complete.
In the biggest game of the season, Simmons had a career-defining afternoon, recording 38 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in an 85-70 upset win over Akron on Saturday in The Convo.
“I sat in my office for about five minutes trying to come up with adjectives for Jaaron’s play,” coach Saul Phillips said. “I’m stuck.”
Simmons’ play did the talking, and it was loud with authority.
Keeping a calm demeanor throughout the game, Akron’s frustrations containing the point guard boiled over, leading to technical and evaporating the Zips’ chance to go 10-0 in conference play.
In warmups, Simmons made 30 straight 3s. When the game started, he slithered through the Akron defense, finding open shots or open teammates. Both were just as effective.
Shooting 10-of-16, he was a perfect 5-of-5 from 3-point attempts, in addition to 13-of-16 on free throws. For only having five assists, his ability to dissect the defense emulated a surgeon’s clean cuts under the knife.
“Just business today,” Simmons said after the game with a satisfied, but nonchalant smug. “Strictly business.”
But the upset win was more than business. It was the culmination of weeks of Simmons’ growing influence.
When Antonio Campbell’s collegiate career ended three weeks ago, Simmons said he needed to step up and become a better team leader. He needed to take authority.
It's time to forget Campbell. As of Saturday, this is Simmons’ team, and everything he did revealed as much.
“That’s what he does,” Gavin Block said of his teammate. “That’s what he can do.”
With 2:49 remaining and Ohio leading 68-66, a 3-pointer from Kenny Kaminski — his first on eight attempts — pushed the Bobcats forward. From there it was all Simmons, who scored 13 of Ohio’s final 15 points.
The 38-point performance was the most by any Bobcat under Phillips three-year tenure. A 43-point game from D.J. Cooper in 2010 was the last time any Ohio player produced any similar points total, but it took Cooper four overtimes.
Simmons only needed 40 minutes.
What Ohio needs now, though, is a similar consistency through the rest of the season. By defeating Akron, the Bobcats (14-7, 6-4 MAC) proved they’re still legitimate contenders in the Mid-American Conference despite their fourth-place seeding.
Block said the win was refreshing and needed, especially given Ohio had lost four-of-its-last six against games and 9-of-11 against Akron. Simmons simply said the Bobcats will continue doing more of the same.
Judging on his career-game, perhaps he’s the best person to follow moving forward.
