Ep. 23 Alex Simmons | Basketball – The 5th Quarter Podcast with Sandy Adams

Real talk with Alex Simmons: We chat about growing up in Tennessee and a strong family environment, how her 8th grade year decided her future. The transition to college hoops, the standard of winning at UT and the underlying question of what to do next. The toll of her injuries and that lonesome year in Kansas that built her up. The family ties that influenced and elevated her throughout her career and that moment she knew Memphis was her destiny.

Two-time NCAA National Champion and Tennessee native Alex Simmons was named the head coach of the Memphis Tiger women’s basketball team on April 6, 2023 and became the 13th head coach in the program’s history.

Simmons comes to Memphis after five seasons at the helm of Gardner-Webb where she led the team to a 90-59 record including a 29-5 mark this past season. The Runnin’ Bulldogs broke multiple program, school and Big South records with their 29 victories and a 21-game win streak that included a perfect 18-0 record in conference play. GWU captured the regular season and championship titles for the program’s first trip to the Big Dance since the 2010-11 season.

Simmons, who was named as the Big South Coach of the Year, saw four of her five starters earn All-Big South honors in 2022-23, while Jhesskya Williams became just the third player in Gardner-Webb history to surpass 2,000 career points, finishing as the program’s second all-time leading scorer with 2,049 points.

Simmons’ basketball roots run deep to one of the most respected programs in the game. She played collegiately at the University of Tennessee under basketball Hall of Fame coach Pat Summitt from 2004-2009, helping the Lady Vols win back-to-back NCAA National Championships in 2007 and 2008.

Simmons was a member of three Final Four squads (2005, 2007, 2008) and another Elite Eight team (2006) while serving as a team captain and was also the Lady Vols representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

Simmons was a high school star at one of the nation’s most storied prep programs, earning Tennessee Miss Basketball honors at Shelbyville High School in 2004. She earned WBCA All-American honors and played in both the WBCA and McDonald’s All-America Games following her senior season. Simmons was also tabbed as an All-America player by Street & Smith’s and was a USA Today and Student Sports Junior All-America recipient in 2003.

Also a Street & Smith’s All-America Honorable Mention selection in 2001 and 2002, Simmons helped the Golden Eaglettes to Tennessee State Championships in 2001, 2003 and 2004. She was a three-time All-State selection, four-time All-District choice and was named as the Mid-State Player of the Year in 2003.

On the AAU circuit, Simmons was named a 16U All-American in 2003 and helped her team to a third-place finish at AAU Nationals and a first-place finish at AAU Junior Nationals.

She graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2008 with a degree in exercise science. Simmons and her husband, Christian, have two daughters – Carsyn and Channing.

Alex Simmons is the Head Coach – Memphis Women’s Basketball.

Find Coach Simmons on Social Media

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