South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

It’s hard to believe Trevis Simpson is just a junior.

The guard for the Region 1-AAAAA defending champion Coffee High Trojans is the best player on his team, and ranks among the top players in the Southeast. A quick Google search of his name yields some interesting results, but the first is from ESPN.com which offers a 187-word summary of his basketball skills: “He’s a long-armed, wiry player. Has good athletic ability. Excellent in transition. Can get to the rim because of his ability to knife through the defense or catch the lob and finish with a dunk . . .”  ESPN.com grades Simpson at an 87 in terms of overall ability.

The message is clear: Simpson is good, and a lot of people know about him. Simpson has already received Division I offers, and the schools looking at him include Cincinnati, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Colorado State and Clemson, just to name a few.

Many players find this kind of attention unnerving. Others let it go to their heads and allow it to hamper their development, but Simpson seems unfazed by the accolades. In fact, he just considers it part of a journey that began way back in early elementary school.

When Simpson began playing basketball he wasn’t any bigger than his peers. That may be hard to believe – he’s 6’ 5” and 180 pounds these days. He was an unassuming player… until he stepped on the court. Simpson’s father, Rodriguez Simpson, says it didn’t take long to realize he had special talent. “It was about the third or fourth grade. He saw things on the court differently than others his age. He had an exceptional shot and he understood the game better,” remembers Rodriguez.

Rodriguez and Simpson’s mother, Tonja, decided that they should encourage Simpson to develop as a player. He began attending AAU camps, and made a big splash at a camp held on the campus of Georgia Southwestern State University in Americus. He was only eleven years old, but according to the camp director he had the skill set of a 15-year-old. “And he just improved from there,” says Rodriguez.

During Simpson’s seventh grade year, he began growing- a lot. And fast. Almost overnight he went from 5’ 8” to 6’ 1”. He continued growing, adding about an inch of height per year. He now stands at a long and lean 6’ 5”. “I didn’t expect to end up this tall. I figured I’d be around 6’ 1”,” says Simpson.

Simpson’s size is only part of the equation. He plays with a confidence and an awareness of what is going on around him that truly elevates his game. He’s a straight-A student, which no doubt helps him with the more cerebral side of the sport. Simpson says he likes math and science, though that hasn’t always been the case. “I really like science right now. My best grades are in math and science,” he says.

Tonja Simpson, a second grade teacher at Eastside Elementary in Douglas, says she has always stressed the importance of grades to both Simpson and his brother, Cameron, who is eleven. “I’m leaps and bounds more proud of what he’s doing scholastically than athletically,” she says. “You’ve got to have something to fall back on. You never know when that ball will stop bouncing. He was making good grades before he started playing basketball. If you want to be anything in life, you must have an education.”

Simpson has honed his skills over the years playing for the Atlanta Celtics and the Georgia Hawks in AAU competition. His AAU season begins a few weeks after the high school campaign finishes. It continues through August, and Simpson believes AAU ball is a big reason why he’s being recruited so heavily.

In addition to catching the attention of scouts across the country, Simpson has played against other players as talented as he. As such, Simpson has had to elevate his game to keep up. “He’s well traveled. He’s played against Tim Hardaway’s son, and he’s played in front of Michael Jordan. He can handle pressure. He’s heard all the talk before,” says Rodriguez. The aforementioned ESPN.com summary says as much: “Very good scoring wing that played well against good competition.”

Thursday, December 18th, Simpson showed just how well he can play under pressure. The Trojans were playing Hamilton, Florida, in the Lowndes Christmas Tournament in Valdosta. The undefeated Trojans found themselves trailing 60-58 with 11 seconds left in the game. Simpson got the ball and took the shot. He found the basket for two points and was fouled on the play. His basket tied the game at 60 and the foul sent him to the line. Simpson made the ensuing free throw to put his team up 61-60. Teammate Darius Batts finished off Hamilton by hitting a pair of foul shots with one second left to lift Coffee over Hamilton 63-60. Simpson finished the game with 20 points, but more importantly, his team remained unbeaten.

The concept of team isn’t lost on Simpson, and he’s been after his fellow Trojans to elevate their play as the season progresses. He wants to win another region title (Simpson cites winning the 2007-2008 region championship as his best moment on the court) but he doesn’t want to stop there. “A lot of good players have come through Coffee High and didn’t win region. I want our team to realize that. But we’ve got to get beyond region,” says Simpson.

His father agrees, “I want him thinking championships. There is no room for complacency. I want him to leave his stamp on the game.”