From the Newsstands: This story appeared in The Eagle's December 2023 print edition. You can find the digital version here.
American University men’s basketball head coach Duane Simpkins has high hopes for his first season. “Our goal is to win the Patriot League,” Simpkins said. “We want to develop day in and day out with an ultimate goal of winning our conference in the 23-24 season.”
This confidence is far from unfounded. Simpkins’ knowledge and love for the game is on full display in his basketball philosophy. “We want to be the most together team that we can be, and the toughest,” he said. “I want this team to be one of the best defensive teams in the Patriot League.”
His emphasis on toughness began in his playing days. Simpkins was a starter for former AU coach Gary Williams’ University of Maryland teams from 1992-96 and made three NCAA tournament appearances. He went on to carve out an overseas career, playing in Italy and China from 1997-2003. Before being hired as AU’s new coach in April of this year, Simpkins was an assistant coach at UNC Greensboro from 2012-15 and George Mason University from 2015-23.
Simpkins’ passion for coaching began after his playing career when he hosted camps, small group training and individual sessions. “It allowed me to stay close to the game I love and keep my passion for competition,” he said. “I love teaching, and it’s something I’ve done all my life, so I feel like I’m pretty well versed in it.”
Simpkins isn’t grounding his strategy in a half-court offense, as college coaches are sometimes known to do. “We’re gonna rebound at a high rate, and it’s gonna allow our guys to do what they love to do, which is play in transition,” he said.
He also wants to deny the 3-pointer on the defensive end and capitalize on it on offense; this pace-and-space style that also emphasizes defense is closer to an NBA strategy than a college scheme. “We want to make sure we’re contesting 3-pointers and not allowing teams to shoot over 33 percent from three, while getting up 32 to 33 threes a game ourselves.”
Though confident in his team, Simpkins is not discounting the competition. “Winning is easier said than done; we’ve got some really good teams in our conference,” he said. “We have to go into every practice with the end in mind: being the top defensive team in the Patriot League.”
Simpkins plans to establish a new culture in AU basketball. He has four core values that he wants the team to live by: high character, work ethic, toughness and humility. He believes these values will instill a sense of unity and ensure that the entire team fulfills the absolute peak of their potential as players and as people.
His passion for coaching is undeniable, but it’s bigger than basketball for Simpkins. His goal is to teach his players to be the best they can be at both basketball and life. Simpkins leads by example and is an active member of the D.C. community.
“I want these young men to not only become better basketball players, but more importantly, to become better potential citizens,” he said. “Better dads, better members of society and everything like that.”
This article was edited by Penelope Jennings, Delaney Hoke and Abigail Pritchard. Copy editing done by Isabelle Kravis, Olivia Citarella and Sarah Clayton.
