La Salle High hoops star Horace Simmons has committed to Drexel, which kept believing in him

It took just two seasons of high school basketball for Horace Simmons to receive his first scholarship offer.

There were plenty more to follow, but that first offer, which came from Drexel, remained the only one the La Salle College High School forward was ready to consider.

Even this past summer, when Simmons had an ankle sprain and some programs weren’t recruiting him as heavily, Drexel’s desire remained.

On Aug. 25, exactly 500 days after the Dragons extended an offer to Simmons, the 6-foot-6 senior announced his oral commitment And the fact that Drexel was Simmons’ first offer didn’t get lost in the shuffle.

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“They were the first ones to really believe in me and give me a chance,” Simmons said. “ … I just felt like since they were the first ones to really give me an opportunity, that kind of helped my decision a little bit.”

Simmons, a three-star recruit according to 247 Sports, had his share of options during the recruiting process. But after he hurt his ankle, some schools weren’t expressing as much interest, leading him to truly consider Drexel when it came to his commitment.

In the end, Simmons, who is from the Glenside area, decided to stay close to home. He wasn’t dead set on staying nearby for college, but that was one of the things that stood out to him about Drexel.

“I feel like the area stood out,” Simmons said. “It’s close to home. And I feel like they were showing me the most interest. That’s important to me, too. I want to go somewhere where I’m wanted. ...

“I really like the coaching staff as well. I feel like I can really vibe with the coaching staff. Everybody’s cool over there. So I feel like it was just like the perfect decision.”

Before committing, Simmons took two unofficial visits to Drexel. He didn’t take his official visit until after he committed.

Throughout the process, Simmons spoke a lot to Philly Pride head coach Kevin Stewart, his parents, and his cousin, Sharay Hall, who is the women’s basketball coach at Millersville. With people like Stewart and Hall knowing the intricacies of the recruiting world, he sought advice from them along with his parents.

The timeline of Simmons’ commitment wasn’t random. He wanted to do it before the high school season began so he could just focus on basketball, but he said he also wanted to make sure he still made the right decision.

Playing in the Philadelphia Catholic League, Simmons is accustomed to going against Division I-caliber players. Last season, he averaged 14.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.6 blocks, and a steal per game, earning him second-team All-Catholic honors.

“Some guys just are specialists. I think he’s a complete, pretty well-rounded player,” La Salle coach Mike McKee said. “He can do a lot of different things. He takes on challenges, and he has a passion. He just wants to be really good.”

With his recruitment out of the way, Simmons can now focus solely on basketball. The key thing Simmons said he’s working on is creating his own shot but mentioned there’s room to improve in every area. He also talked about wanting to improve his playmaking, and now that he’s in more of a leadership role, that will help.

Simmons is Drexel’s first recruit for the class of 2023. But being the first is nothing new in the Drexel-Horace Simmons relationship.