Phil Anastasia: Camden's Simmons poses a double threat

Hubert Simmons has twin role models for the two sides of his game.

One is Semaj Inge, a former star at Woodrow Wilson who is a starter for Temple. The other is his twin brother, James Inge, who also was a top player at Woodrow Wilson.

"Semaj was the stylish guard and James was the leaper," Simmons said. "I try to play a little like both of them."

Simmons showed a little of this and a little of that in Camden's 117-68 rout of Leap Academy in the Tiger Classic earlier this week at Woodrow Wilson High School.

The 6-foot-2 sophomore scored 23 points on a variety of jump shots and smooth drives, and also made a couple of athletic plays that brought many in the crowd, which included former Camden coach Clarence Turner, out of their wooden seats in the gymnasium.

"I'm expecting big things out of him," said Camden coach Mike Stargell, whose 3-0 team is No. 8 in The Inquirer Top 10. "He's getting better and better."

Camden has a couple of known elements in senior forward Aaron Moss and junior guard Vincent Walls. The key for the undersized Panthers this season will be the development of a Third Man, and that's where Simmons comes in.

Camden doesn't have a post presence at the offensive end. But in the athletic Moss and the rangy Walls, they have two-thirds of a triangle that will be tough for opponents to defend.

If Simmons steps up his game, Camden will have a balanced offense that could compensate for the lack of an inside scorer and make the Panthers a strong contender for the South Jersey Group 2 championship.

"Simmons is stepping up," said the 6-foot-2 Moss, who scored 28 points and collected 17 rebounds as Camden overwhelmed Leap Academy with its pressure defense and transition offense. "I like what I'm seeing."

Moss is an undersized forward who creates difficult matchup problems for opponents because of his strength and quickness. He jumps center for a team without a true post and usually leads the team in rebounds.

The 6-foot-1 Walls is a streaky shooter. He's a natural scorer who generated 19 of his 30 points against Leap in a third-quarter display of three-point bombs, steals, slices to the hoop, and mid-range jumpers.

Simmons is the Panthers' X Factor. He played some varsity last season as a freshman but wasn't much of a factor for an inconsistent team.

Simmons said he worked hard all summer to strengthen his game, patterning his play after his older twin brothers.

"They [the Inge twins] used to take me to Cramer Hill to play all the time," Simmons said. "I worked on everything all summer, my shot, my legs to try to get stronger, my ball-handling.

"I'm ready to step up and play a big role for this team."

Simmons is a versatile scorer. He made a couple of three-point jumpers against Leap, and also finished a few fastbreaks with authority. He was 9 for 15 from the field and 3 for 3 from the foul line.

Simmons made a couple of plays in the third quarter that underscored his potential.

At one end, he took a sweet feed from Walls and threw down a thunderous dunk while being fouled.

On the next possession, he raced down the court and leaped high to block a shot off the backboard, starting another Camden fastbreak.

"That's the kind of thing that he's capable of doing for us," Stargell said. " He's got a big future."