Myles “5 Star” Simmons chooses “THE” High School
This was not a tough decision at all. Nor is it a surprise to anyone. But Blessed Unlimited is proud to announce that Myles “5 Star” Simmons will be spending his high school career at St. Augustine High School, in St. Augustine, Florida. Myles will be playing football and basketball as well as participating in the Cambridge AICE program for his academics. Myles is currently a 5’6, 114lb unranked prospect from the West Augustine area but comes in with a ton of playing experience at the youth level. He’s been playing competitive tackle football since he was five and basketball since he was seven.
Myles chooses St. Augustine High over other St. John’s county schools due to familiarity, academics, diversity, and trust. He’s been to a few camps that SAHS has hosted for local area youth and knows the coaches. Also, it helps that his dad has worked side by side with the head coach of the football program and basketball program. The insight on how much those coaches pour into their players on the field but also in their lives is immeasurable. Each coach does their best to get the know their guys on a personal level and stresses character and academics continuously.
While Myles was never recruited or contacted by any coaches there was still opportunity to go to other schools. New legislature and Academies allow players to go to any school they want for the most part. However, since he was five, Myles has always been a Jacket.
Starting out on the West Augustine Baby Jackets B team at the age of 5, Myles was a fast learner on the football. “If I would’ve known about him, I would’ve definitely put him on my team,” the coach of the 6u A team exclaimed. Myles was the starting QB his first year and people quickly took notice of his intelligence and play making ability. He continued to play the position until he fractured his wrist when he was ten. Before fracturing his wrist, Myles led his teams to winning seasons every year. While he no longer plays the QB position, his ability to make plays and demonstrate his IQ on the playing field has not changed.
Myles is projected to play wide receiver and/or defensive back for the Jacket football program. He has great instincts for recognizing plays develop as well as attacking the ball in the air. Although he is currently unranked and undersized I believe he will be one to watch moving forward in the class of 2024. After taking the past year off from football to focus on academics and being a kid Myles is re-energized to play the game of football. He is currently participating on the St. John’s Spartans 7v7 team to get ready for the high school passing game. He also already has a 4.1 GPA and is working on completing three additional high school credits before his freshmen year.
When it comes to basketball, that is Myles’ primary passion. He’s played point guard his entire career and is a fundamentally sound player. He’s lead his teams to many local championships and also played for a nationally ranked team in the 5th grade, traveling as far as Houston to compete. The national team was a unique experience for him. He went from being, “the man,” to earning his minutes. Essentially, I believe it was one of the most important experiences of his youth career. In high school, he will have to earn everything all over again and that won’t be a new experience for him. Playing against kids that are bigger and/or more athletic won’t be new to him. He’s always shown he belongs.
Myles has never been the fastest, the tallest, or a flashy player. However, I’ve always had people come ask me after games, “Is that your son? He’s good. He really knows basketball.” And it will be after a game he only taken three shots because he’s that unselfish. Myles is a coaches dream. The kid will do whatever he’s coached to do. But they see his ability because they know basketball too. They see not only what he does with the ball but what he does without it.
Unfortunately, those attributes don’t gain rankings or notoriety at this age. His younger brother got ranked for the first time when he was eight because of his athleticism and size. Myles doesn’t jump off the radar or draw attention when he first walks into a gym or on the field. With all the rankings going on and all star games I’ve actually avoided them for him despite how much I believe in him. I know how those events work in most cases and there isn’t enough time to prove how good you are relative to how much it costs. Especially when the rankings don’t matter much at this point in his life. He’s still been exposed to the appropriate level of competition to keep him hungry and humble.
Yet, when the rankings finalize for the class of 2024 four years from now I believe he won’t just show he belongs on the field or court. He will have numerous colleges offering him to play on their field or court. There are many boxes that need to be checked off for any child to pursue that dream and he’s checked off two his whole life: eligibility and character. By following the Wright Game Plan, we know that he will finish high school with an AA as well as be ready to graduate in December of his senior year if he wants to. His aunt, Ranata Wright, specializes in NCAA eligibility and has already laid the foundation for him to pursue his dream. He just has to get work on and off the field! Until next time, B U!
