My enduring image of Sim has little to do with basketball, but maybe everything to do with college basketball.
During both celebrations of the Big East regular season and and the BET championships as confetti rained down from the rafters, Simeon played with the piles that mounted the way a 10 year old would play in a pile of autumn leaves or after a snowstorm.diving into mounds of snow.
It struck me that after decades of futility, his reaction.was child like joy, grabbing piles of red and white confetti and tossing them in the air and on teammates. A kid barely out of his teens unafraid to act like a kid. Pure joy.
I recalled that I wss once on the court too during the 83 celebration, beneath the rim with a mob of dtudents and young fans, joyouslu screaming as Billy Goodwin climbed onto the rim and shared that moment with all of us. It's the reason why I chose the Beast of the East screen name.
Simeon was as good a teammate perhaps as anyone who ever played here. He bonded almost from day one with Brady, the two becoming such close friends that despite competing for the same scarce minutes of playong time to prove themselves, they openly rooted for each other and their teammates, celebrating each other's successes, consoling each other after failures.
Both are emblematic of how we perceive the college game. Playing for the name on the front of the uniform means that the team wasn't just a dozen or so players and coaches, but an entire university of students, alums, administrators, faculty and fans.
It means that years later when you encounter a Mullin, Berry, a Hamilton, Lopez or Alagia, there is common ground and familiarity that doesn't exist in pro sports. The interest is deeper than what they did on the court and is mutual to some extent.
The realities of the current rules and structure work against this notion. Sim and Brady, RJ and the rest are both beneficiaries and victims of this new era. They left too soon, for money, exposure, playing time, or a perceived greener grass.
The reality or myth of a deep connection with our fans is diminished, if not shattered. They won't walk the aisles of commencement, as Reggie Carter did in my days as a student; they won't even have a school identity to associate with. Somehow, despite the financial aspect of NIL, they are left with less in other important ways. So are we.