We are still a couple of months away from the tip-off of a new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with American University coach Duane Simpkins, who talked about making the NCAA tourney last March and his expectations for this season.
You played for Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten at DeMatha Catholic High School: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He was a teacher 1st and foremost: not just about basketball but preparing us for life beyond basketball. Those things really resonated with me. There was nothing intricate, but he kept us disciplined every day.
In 1992 you were named a McDonald’s All-American: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Tony Delk/Jason Kidd/Corliss Williamson/other)? Jason was the best PG I ever played against. He was head and shoulders above everyone else from the 1st time that I faced him at a Nike camp.
As a player at Maryland, you made back-to-back Sweet 16s in 1994/1995: what is the key to winning games in March? We call it “pushing the reset button”: even if you win your 1st game you have to start from scratch with a score of 0-0 for your next opponent. It is important to be locked into your preparation…but it also helped to have great teammates like Joe Smith and a great coach in Gary Williams.
In 1996 you led the ACC with 84.5 FT%: what is the secret to making FTs? 2 things. Everyone wants to score so I knew that I would only have a limited # of FG attempts, and if I got to the FT line then I had better make them while I was there. I also practiced drills at game-speed and would sprinkle in FTs: I would not finish my workout until I had made 10 in a row at the end.
After graduation you played pro basketball in the USBL, ABA, and overseas: what was the biggest difference between basketball in the US and basketball in other countries? Their ability to play off the ball. Not everything is predicated on getting your own shot, but allowing a pass to create opportunities for your teammates. It was also eye-opening to see the # of young players on junior teams who practiced with us: it is no surprise to see so many of them having success after playing against grown men from the age of 16. They learned the fundamentals of ball-handling/passing regardless of their height, and now they are dominating at the highest level in the NBA.
Take me through the 2025 postseason as head coach at American:
Despite losing your final home game to Navy during the regular season, you beat the Midshipmen in the conference tourney title game: how much of a home court advantage did you have at Bender Arena? It is a huge homecourt advantage, especially come tourney time. We sold it out and rode the wave of emotion from our fans. Losing to Navy lit a fire under us…as was being a #2 seed…as was having several guys who should have been voted higher onto the all-conference teams.
In the 1st 4, your leading scorer Matt Rogers injured his right knee 4 minutes into the game: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? I felt devastated for him, then we had to figure out how to play/defend without him to get the job done.
Last April you signed a contract extension through the 2030 season: why did you decide to stick around rather than see if the grass was greener elsewhere? Like I tell our guys, in this age of NIL people get offered money to go elsewhere. If it is life-changing money that is 1 thing, but American decided to increase my compensation. I feel very comfortable here, my administration is great, and we are bringing in some talented freshmen this year. I will walk the walk because the grass is not always greener.
Your team set a program record for 3PM in each of the past 2 seasons: how crucial is 3-PT shooting to your team’s success? It is very crucial and helps a lot when you have a 5-man like Matt who is also a great 3-PT shooting threat. We structured a lot of our offense around that, but it is important to play faster and look for open shots, which are often threes. I want to be more efficient with it: we were around 35 3P% last year but will try to be around 37-38 3P% this year.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We will be a young team so my sole focus is on getting our young guys to mesh with our older guys as quickly as we can. Once Patriot League play starts, I want to be unable to tell that our freshmen are freshmen. That will make or break us and determine how much success we have.
