Former Wildcat Kobi Simmons would have been wise to stay in school

I shook my head when I saw a tweet from ex-UA guard Kobi Simmons last week. He tweeted: “My story starts now. Chapter 1.” But what about his high school, AAU and college days? Is it all about the pros now? Simmons also posted a twitter image of a Range Rover he bought his mother with the money he will receive from a two-way contract with the Memphis Grizzlies. I’ve got nothing against Simmons or the way college basketball has now become a pit stop on the way to pro basketball, but had he stayed in college another year or two — transferring to a place like Gonzaga or Iowa State for a year — he would surely have been a first-round pick in 2019 or 2020. Now he’ll be fodder, bouncing between the G League and the Memphis bench for a few years as he matures, improves his shooting skills and game management. His pay this year will range between $75,000 and $279,000, depending on how much time he spends in Memphis. 

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