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player ready...As a 5-foot-5 post player, Niles West senior Maddie Simkins has been on the receiving end of high elbows from taller players, plus the occasional cheap shot.
“It happens,” Simkins said. “But you have to bite your tongue and walk away. There are times when you get hit and you want to fight back. But I’m part of Niles West and I have to represent my school in a good way.”
Simkins’ varsity career ended when the 11th-seeded Wolves suffered a 57-37 loss to fifth-seeded New Trier in the Class 4A Maine West Regional semifinals on Feb. 14, but she’s leaving behind a blueprint for how to play with good sportsmanship.
“She plays the game the right way and she plays hard,” Niles West coach Tony Konsewicz said. “She’s the first one to help someone up off the floor. She’s a very supportive teammate and she exemplifies what it means to be a good team player.”
Offensive statistics don’t measure Simkins’ value to the varsity program. Instead, defending bigger and stronger players has been her great on-court contribution for the Wolves.
“It’s challenging but in practice we work on defending bigger girls. It’s fun because I have to play stronger and more aggressive,” Simkins said. “I also have to know which way they’re going to go, and be a step ahead of them. If they’re turning left, I have to be there before they get there. I have to play smart.”
“You can’t think too much, you have to react. Coach always says in practice, ‘Don’t think — do.'”
Statistics also aren’t what Konsewicz thinks about when he thinks of Simkins and her two older sisters, Jessie and Kacie, both of whom played for him at Niles West, or Sammie Simkins, a sophomore who played JV basketball this year.
“It’s a whole family of lunch-pail kids who show up every day, you never hear a peep out of them, and they’re extremely hard workers,” Konsewicz said.
Working hard was something the Simkins girls all learned at an early age, from parents Michael and Ann Simkins.
“My parents would take us to the park and we’d play softball, or we’d play basketball, and they’d always talk about trying our hardest and doing our best,” Maddie Simkins said.
“They always preached hard work and we’ve all picked up on that idea of working hard, completing the tasks we need to complete and not letting anyone down.”
Maddie Simkins’ character is evident during the school day, too.
Two school periods per day, Maddie Simkins volunteers her time to work with physically- and mentally-disabled students in their gym classes at Niles West.
Maddie Simkins plans to attend Illinois State and major in elementary education with an endorsement in special education.
“They brighten up my day when I walk in the room,” Maddie Simkins said of the students she works with. “They make me happy and make waking up and coming to school easier, just knowing I get to see them every day.
“I can do everything, and that makes me want to help people who aren’t as fortunate as me to feel like they can do everything, too.”
Before she graduates, Maddie Simkins is being recognized for everything she did for the Wolves basketball program.
“Every year at our post-conference meeting, each team chooses a (Central Suburban League) sportsmanship award,” Konsewicz said. “Maddie is our recipient this year. Her effort and attitude kept her on the floor for us.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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