by Omran Hamidi,  staff reporter

From Melbourne to Baton Rouge, you rarely see a star basketball player emerging from the roots of Australia. Ben Simmons, emerged as a top prospect for colleges when he enrolled to play at Orlando bay-area, Montverde Academy. From then on, it was the Ben Simmons show. From being invited to the Pangos All-American Camp, Simmons drew a lot of attention which propelled his move to Montverde Academy.

After the Pangos Camp, scouts fell in love with his game and knew he would emerge as a top prospect. One recruiting guru, Frank Burlison, wrote about Simmons on his site “He is only 15 years old, a member of Australia’s 17-under national squad, and might have been as good a prospect as there was in camp. If he eventually relocates to the U.S. for the remainder of his high school classroom and hoops educations, pencil him onto the roster for the McDonald’s All-American roster three years from now.”

Going to Montverde Academy payed off for Simmons. His game expanded, won championships and most of all collected a lot of college offers. The offer that caught his attention the most, was from LSU( Louisiana State University). David Patrick, godfather of Simmons, is an assistant at LSU and key recruiter for Simmons. Although LSU is not known for their basketball program, Head Coach Johnny Jones has started a different culture to attract high-major recruits.

With Simmons committing to LSU, it was no surprise for people due to his connections there and eventually it attracted a lot of other recruits such as Antonio Blakney and Brandon Sampson. After all, a commitment from Simmons is huge and recruiting guru Burlinson knows it as well. “I’m not saying he’s as good as LeBron,” Burlison says, “but I don’t think there has been anyone at this age, with his size, who can do so many things so well, with or without the ball, since James.”

“Simmons is on the rise and his play making ability will only increase his stock in the upcoming NBA Draft,” junior Mohammed Shah said.