MILWAUKEE – Tafari Simms has signed a National Letter of Intent with the Milwaukee men's basketball team, head coach Pat Baldwin announced today.
 
Simms arrives in Milwaukee following his 2019-20 sophomore campaign at Western Texas College in Snyder, Texas.
 
"The landscape of college basketball is changing and it was very important that we secure a skilled frontcourt player with versatility," Baldwin said. "We are extremely excited to add Tafari to our program. In evaluating Tafari, we grew increasingly enamored with is ability to face up and score away from the basket. He can also attack off the bounce and utilize his unique skillset and athleticism to score around the block. He has a 6'11 wingspan and plays bigger than his size would indicate. His unique athleticism will allow us to play differently on the defensive end and mix up coverages. 
 
Originally from Jamaica and a currently making his home in Canada, the 6-foot-7, 212-pound forward made 31 starts in 33 games this past season, helping the Westerners go 23-11 overall. He averaged 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in just 21.4 minutes per game. Simms connected on 48.2 percent of his field goals, including 42.1 percent from three-point range and 73.0 percent from the free throw line.
 
"Tafari is extremely mature and has a terrific outlook on life that will be a benefit in our locker room," Baldwin said. "He spent this past season playing for Kyle Cooper at Western Texas College and also played for Ro Russell with Grassroots Canada AAU."
 
Simms spent his freshman year at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkington, Miss., averaging 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds a game while connecting on 50.5 percent of his field goal attempts overall.