Last season, Autumn Simon was an all-county center at Bellport High School and the team’s leading scorer.
She helped lead the Clippers, a No. 5 seed, to their first-ever Suffolk County …
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Last season, Autumn Simon was an all-county center at Bellport High School and the team’s leading scorer.
She helped lead the Clippers, a No. 5 seed, to their first-ever Suffolk County Class AA championship game appearance.
This season, Simon is making her mark at Division II Queens College in New York, where she’s playing significant minutes at power forward and center.
Simon has started four games and played in each of the Knights’ 18 games, averaging 15.1 minutes, which is a lot of playing time for a freshman.
Simon’s averaging 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 points a game.
Her best game so far was on Nov. 26 against Wilmington University, when she scored 12 points in the Knights’ 65-47 win. Simon led the team with 13 rebounds.
At 6-foot-2, Simon is the tallest player on the team and someone head coach Elizabeth Naumovski turns to when she needs someone to come off the bench and pull down some rebounds.
Simon’s height and mobility make her a versatile player who can play both power forward and center, said Naumovski, who first started scouting Simon when she was in 10th grade at Longwood High School. (Simon transferred to Bellport her senior year.)
“I think she’s got a pretty high ceiling,” Naumovski said. “She’s a wonderful kid. Good energy, great spirit about her, and exceptionally well liked by her teammates.”
Simon has also grown more confident in her ability as a player, Naumovski said.
Simon’s gone through the typical adjustments players make going from high school to college where the season is longer, the players are bigger, and the game is faster.
“It’s definitely not like high school at all,” Simon said.
Back home in Bellport, Simon has a lot of family support, including her grandfather, Anthony Permenter, who comes to all of the Queens College home games and has traveled to many of the away games.
Simon’s busy with school and basketball, but she did make it to a Bellport basketball game over winter break.
As for Simon’s future at the college level, Naumovski is upbeat.
“Autumn is going to have a very good career here,” she said. “The sky’s the limit for her.”
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