The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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60 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2023 BY ANTHONY BROOME F ormer U-M guard Jaaron Simmons is entering his sixth season with the men's basketball program, including one year as a player in 2017-18. During his time in Ann Arbor, he has been a part of a national runner-up, played for John Beilein and is now tipping off his fifth season working under head coach Juwan Howard as a video analyst. Formerly an All-MAC performer at Ohio University, Simmons recalled the pitch from Beilein's staff for him to join the Michigan program ahead of the 2017-18 season. "I remember talking to multiple schools going into my grad year af- ter graduating from Ohio University," Simmons said. "Coach Beilein and the Michigan staff came to the gym where I was working out at, and they had a presentation ready, and they put that presentation together and it blew my mind. The academics plus the basket- ball aspect, it was what I thought was a perfect fit, and it all seemed to work out. "I didn't play as much as I wanted, but we had great team success. We made it to a Final Four, made it to the national championship game, won the Big Ten Tournament. It was a lot of good that came out of that decision." Simmons appeared in 33 games for the Wolverines that season, averaging 8 minutes per contest. Prior to arriving in Ann Arbor, he spent one season at Houston before transferring to Ohio for 2015-17. But joining Michigan was a dif- ferent type of beast, and he immediately picked up on Beilein's clinical approach to the game. "The details and discipline that Coach Beilein instilled in us as players and young men, that's what I really re- member and take with me to this day," Simmons said. "Because now being on the other side and being on the coaching staff, the details and the accountability and the discipline is what really helps these kids thrive. "I learned that I'm a winner. Regard- less of whether it's going good for me as an individual or it's going bad for me in- dividually, I'm going to do what it takes every day to come in and contribute to the team in whatever way that may be — whether it's working hard in practice, coming in for my couple minutes in the game. But ultimately, I'm a winner and I wanted to win, and that's what we did. "It's a mentality I grew up with my whole life. I've always been a part of good winning programs. Thanks to my parents for putting me in those pro- grams. Good coaches that I always played for. So, they instilled these quali- ties into me. And it just helped me to continue to have success as I went on throughout college." After his graduation from Michigan, Simmons played one season of profes- sional ball with Union Neuchâtel of the Swiss Basketball League before deciding to return to finish his degree, and po- tentially find a role as a graduate man- ager with the Wolverines. "The main goal was to come back and complete my master's degree," Sim- mons said. "Coach Howard got the job. And I was already reaching back to Coach Beilein to try to complete my de- gree, and he actually went to the Cava- liers that year. So, I thought it was all over with and I wasn't going to be able to finish. "Coach Juwan called me and was a big part of this. [Former executive associate athletics director] Greg Harden and our A.D. Warde Manuel were a big part of this, too. They had some type of con- versations with Juwan, and he reached out. We had a conversation, and he then ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Video Analyst Jaaron Simmons Leans On Lessons From Michigan's Head Basketball Coaches, Past and Present Simmons played one season (2017-18) for the Wolverines following his graduate transfer from Ohio University. He was the first ever graduate transfer at Michigan. PHOT0 COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS