The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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NOVEMBER 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 61 ❱ WHERE ARE THEY NOW? offered me the graduate assistant spot. From that point, I came in and worked hard as a G.A. and continued to work my way up." Simmons' responsibilities include analyzing film, providing analytics to prepare scouting reports and assist in game planning, helping the coaching staff with on-campus recruiting events and co-supervising the student mana- gerial program. In addition, he helps identify areas of emphasis for the Wol- verines on the court through his film study. "I'm always watching film on our opponent, and on our team," Simmons said. "So, I'm watching film on the op- ponent, what plays are they running, all their tendencies. We're a detail-ori- ented staff. I'm trying to find all their offensive and defensive tendencies to help us gain an advantage during the game. I would say I'm the first line of the scouting report because I'm watch- ing the film first. As our coaches are preparing for our current game, I'm already ahead preparing for our next game." The schedule sometimes calls for quick turnarounds in nonconference tournaments and in the postseason. That means plenty of burning the can- dle at both ends. But it's a role that Sim- mons loves and takes pride in. "I just do the job until it gets done," he said. "I can't really put a time limit on it, but it takes a lot of time. Takes a lot of late nights, early mornings, but it takes time. And you've got to be precise in what you're looking at and how you present it to the staff. "A lot of times I'm preparing for more than one team at a time. But, we also have another graduate manager now who's in charge of helping with some of these video edits that I have to pull out. It just takes time, and you've got to love it." Simmons thinks back to the presen- tation Beilein and his staff gave him try- ing to sell the Michigan program to him and realizes that it changed his life in ways he never could have imagined. "It's the best decision I ever made," he said. "It was bigger than playing bas- ketball. The reason that I came to Mich- igan is because Coach Beilein told me that I would be able to finish my degree. I only had one year of eligibility, and the program that I was going into was a two-year program. And he let me know clearly to my face that you'll be able to finish your degree. "He stayed true, and the university stayed true to that word. And I came back and finished. All the connections that I've made here, all the resources that I've gained and the relationships that I've built, the learning opportuni- ties that I've had, it's been endless." Simmons hopes to continue on his path of being an asset to a program or organization, whether it be in a scout- ing role or as an assistant coach. He has a mentor in Howard who he feels can get him wherever he needs to go, both as a man and a professional. "I go to him about a lot of personal stuff," Simmons said of the Michigan head man. "He's seen me now for 4-5 years, and he's helped me grow. He's watched me having my first child, so he's helped me in that regard. He's helped me in everyday life in a mental space and physically. "Coaching-wise, he gives me little nuggets here and there all the time, and he looks me in my eye and he tells me things off that, and I know he means it. I know he's saying it from a good place because he wants to see me be success- ful in whatever career path that is. "If I would have never chosen Michi- gan, I wouldn't be here on the staff [with him] today." ❏ ❱ The Jaaron Simmons File Collegiate Accomplishments: First-team All-MAC, MAC All-Tournament accolades in 2016-17 at Ohio University … Member of Michigan's national runner-up team in 2017-18 that claimed a program- record 33 wins. Simmons graduated from Ohio with a bachelor's degree for specialized studies in 2017. In 2021, he completed work for his master's degree for social work at U-M. Professional Accomplishments: One season with Union Neuchâtel of the Swiss Basketball League, averaging 8.5 points and 3.4 assists in 13 games. Graduate assistant in 2019 and promoted to video analyst with the Michigan men's basketball program in 2020. Favorite Place In Ann Arbor: "Being in this profession, you don't get a lot of time with your family and at home. So, my favorite place in Ann Arbor is home, because we spend a lot of time here. A lot of hours." Shout Outs: "My princess and my queen at home, my parents, our whole coaching staff. Coach Howard in particular. Wishing him a speedy recovery. Hoping that he returns 100 percent healthy soon. We miss him in here. Shout out to our team. And I give a shout out to our football team, too. We can take that all the way this year." Family: Simmons and his girlfriend, Ronequa (Mallory), have one daughter together, Romera. After one year as a graduate assistant, head coach Juwan Howard elevated Simmons to video analyst, a role he has held for the U-M men's basketball program since 2020. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS ❱ Simmons "It's the best decision I ever made. It was bigger than play- ing basketball. The reason that I came to Michigan is because Coach Beilein told me that I would be able to finish my de- gree. I only had one year of eligibility, and the program that I was going into was a two-year program. … He stayed true, and the university stayed true to that word. And I came back and finished."