JONESBORO, Ark. (5/17/16) – Pace High School (Milton, Fla.) standout Jahmiah Simmons has signed a National Letter of Intent to join the Arkansas State men’s basketball program, head coach Grant McCasland announced Tuesday.

“We are excited to have Jahmiah join our A-State basketball program,” said McCasland. “The first thing that jumps out at you when you see him play is his feel for the game. He can really pass and creates mismatches with his versatility. Jahmiah is a great student and will be a tremendous teammate. He has international experience at the highest of levels and we feel confident that will translate to our program.”

Simmons, a 6-4 190 pound guard/foward, averaged 15.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists during his senior season and was named the Pensacola News Journal Player of the Year. He helped the Patriots to the quarterfinals of the Class 6A Regional scoring 23 points in the 62-52 setback to No. 3 Gainesville. He played in the 2016 Pensacola Sports/Subway All-Star Game scoring 17 points, including 11 in the second half, helping the East squad to a 100-91 victory. He finished his prep career at Pace averaging a double-double in all three seasons.

Playing for the U.S. Virgin Islands U17 team, Simmons was voted the best small forward at the FIBA Centrobasket last summer. The squad defeated Mexico in the 2015 FIBA Centrobasket U17 tournament last year to qualify for 2016 FIBA Americas U18 Championships. Simmons scored 13 points and pulled in nine rebounds in the win over Mexico. The silver medal finish was the highest finish in the history of the U.S. Virgin Islands junior national team. Led by A-State assistant Jareem Dowling, the junior national team will compete in the FIBA Tournament of Americas, the second-highest games on the junior level, July 19-25 in Chile.