From city streets to UW threes

On the backside of Tre Simmons' forearms, scrawled in an elegant font, are two tattoos that unite to exude a short statement -- "God's Gift."

In the midst of the Washington guard's exceptional senior season, those arms have proven to be the perfect gift for the Husky men's basketball team, a particularly special present, considering that two years before graduating high school Simmons had no plans to play any sort of collegiate basketball.

As a freshman at Garfield High School, formal competitive basketball wasn't even on Simmons' radar, as the undersized freshman resolved to keep up his hoops skills by playing street ball. High school basketball, he said, didn't allow him the "freedom" he wanted.

Instead, Simmons was exercising his teenage freedom elsewhere -- roaming the streets of Seattle.

"My ninth- and 10th-grade year, I was just bad," the soft-spoken Simmons said. "I didn't care. I was just hanging out with my friends on the streets until one o'clock in the morning doing things I wasn't supposed to be doing."

Basketball players at Garfield High School were calling on Simmons, known well for his basketball exploits at Madison Park, to turn out for the squad. Even Husky junior guard Brandon Roy, then an entering freshman at Garfield, recalled approaching Simmons, who had sprouted to about 6-foot-4 at the beginning of his junior year, about joining the team.

"Tre, you've got to come out with the team," pleaded Roy. "You're good, you're tall, and man, you can play."

Simmons responded with his usual mantra, "Yeah, man, but my grades aren't any good and I can't ever seem to get them right."

In fact, Simmons hadn't attended classes on a consistent basis for two years. But, after airballing his first two years of high school academics, Simmons' life took a dramatic change.

Simmons' grandfather, Hilton Galloway, passed away at the beginning of Simmons' junior year, causing the quiet street kid to reconsider his life.

"That's when I was like, 'I've really got my stuff together,'" Simmons said, recalling his close relationship with his grandfather and the role of support that Galloway played in his life.

It wouldn't be easy. Simmons' lack of participation in the classroom had left him years behind the academic grade. But the tall, street ball star had it in his mind to do everything in his power to get his life straight.

"I was trying to get my school situation right, play basketball, maybe even play college basketball," Simmons said.

For the next two years, Simmons dedicated himself to taking night classes every quarter while also contributing on the basketball court. Simmons was still so far behind that he didn't even bother to take the SATs and had no chance at attending a Division I school. Nevertheless, the devoted student had squared himself up to an open shot to a junior college.

"It was really draining, but it was worth it," Simmons said.

In the fall of 2001, Simmons qualified and enrolled at Odessa College in Texas, where he gained some exposure in the Western Junior Athletic Conference. In April of 2002, the UW hired Lorenzo Romar to coach men's basketball, and, thanks to some prodding from former Garfield teammate Will Conroy, Romar went to watch Simmons play. The Odessa freshman, averaging 12 points per game at the time, made a good impression.

Before coming to Washington, Simmons played one more year of junior college ball, this time for Green River Community College in Auburn, Wash. It was at Green River that Simmons' shooting really took off.

Simmons dominated Green River's small league, leading the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges with 29.8 points per game, and, on two occasions, the perimeter specialist bagged more than 50 points in a game.

Simmons led the Gators to a 20-10 record and to the championship game of the NWAACC. Green River came up two points short in the finals, much to the chagrin of the sophomore sensation.

"That was the only game I didn't score over 20 points," Simmons said. "I just felt like it was my fault."

Today, Simmons, who has a tattoo of the Space Needle etched on the side of his leg, is standing tall in Seattle and in search of a more noteworthy championship. Known for his silky shooting motion, Simmons is ranked sixth in the Pac-10 in points per game despite starting the season on the bench. The shooter is becoming a go-to-guy for the Huskies, shooting 47 percent from the 3-point line.

"He's also becoming one of our best defenders if not our top defender," Romar said. "He's becoming an all around good basketball player."

Despite his outstanding season, the coy swingman has struggled to gain any recognition outside of his team's locker room. Roy and junior guard Nate Robinson, and not Simmons, are the ones receiving nationwide press and respect.

"It's amazing that he doesn't get more recognition around the country," Romar said.

If Simmons continues to clip along at his current pace, however, he may soon gain his recognition in the NBA.

Until then, Simmons is focused on finishing out his collegiate career and his academic work in American Ethnic Studies. Once an academic casualty, Simmons will be the first person in his family to earn a degree from a four-year institution.