By Tyler Ellis

Duane Simpkins always wanted to play basketball. But when he realized he wasn’t going to make it to the NBA, he decided to pivot. Today, he is responsible for taking the American University Eagles to the next level.

In March, Simpkins took the Eagles to the NCAA tournament for the first time in over 10 years — a big accomplishment for a low-Division 1 school that battles top talent teams. The Eagles took on Mount St. Mary Mountaineers in the East Region — First Four. However, the Eagles fell short, losing 83-72.

“It felt great to make the tournament, we put a lot of work, time and effort into this season even after all the ups and downs. So to see the players, coaches, staff and everyone’s families excited after this accomplishment that we had it felt great,” Simpkins said.

Simpkins was born on April 9th, 1974 in Washington D.C. Growing up in the District, he loved playing sports. He was involved in basketball and football at the Boys and Girls Club. When he 13, he moved to Fort Washington where he played football for Silver Hill. But Duane always had an affinity for basketball, so he and his best friend sought out basketball teams.

Simpkins later attended DeMatha Catholic High School from 88-92. He was a McDonald’s All-American and was coached by Hall Of Fame coach Morgan Wooten. “Morgan Wooten was more of a teacher and wasn’t really a yeller,” he explained. Simpkins considered him a role model and uses some of Wooten’s tactics in his coaching today.

Wooten, who died in 2020 at the age of 91, was one of the most decorated basketball coaches in history. He coached at DeMatha for 46 seasons, including coaching Simpkins for four season from 1992 to 1996. He amassed a 274-192 record with a .869 percent winning percentage, and led DeMatha to five national titles. The Stags won 22 titles and 33 WCAC championships.

After DeMatha, Simpkins attended University Of Maryland for college during 92-96, where he was coached by another Hall Of Fame coach Gary Williams. He then went overseas to play professional basketball for several years. He later was able to pursue his dream in sports broadcasting, and his first broadcast was at American University. But he ultimately found his passion when he became a basketball coach.

He coached at the high school level for six years, winning the state championship his 2nd year. After coaching high school basketball, he became an assistant coach at George Mason University for eight years. In 2018-2019, Simpkins and the Patriots set a school record for Atlantic 10 victories and Atlantic road wins, they also matched the programs best ever A-10 tournament seed.

Now, as the head coach at American University, the Eagles broke their all-time three pointer record (299) and Simpkins took his team to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014.

One of the highlights of the regular season came when Lincoln Ball, a 6-foot-6 forward, tossed up a floater at the buzzer. AU moved to 11-9 after this game.

“I remember getting home that night and feeling like I was on top of the freaking world,” said Jimmy Vendetti, a sophomore from Newington, Conn. “I was like, I have peaked in terms AU men’s basketball. It’s never gonna get better than this.”

Many American University students had a lot of positive things to say about this season.

“I remember when I came in my freshman year, no one cared about sports, or at least that was my impression. I’d say at least half the campus knows a lot about basketball. [But now] we’re going to games. There was a massive increase in attendance at games between last season and this season,” one student said.

But it’s more than basketball to Simpkins — he wants his players to be the best version of themselves on and off the court. Like his mentor Morgan Wooten, Simpkins wants his players to be great on and off the court as well, especially in the classroom. “He wants to see his players go on to a better future, even if they don’t play basketball in the future,” one student said.

“He picked up this he picked up a very, very mediocre team. They turned it into the best, one of the best teams the Patriot League. And he has a great work ethic in what he wants to see his team do, because it’s not just about the sport. For him. He wants to see his players go on to a better future, even if they don’t play basketball in the future,” they continued.

American University is also investing in the basketball team’s success as well.

Last March, construction began on a new multi-million dollar athletic facility. Named the Alan and Amy Meltzer Center for Athletic Performance, it promises to be a “state-of-the-art” facility for all students, not just varsity athletes.

Simpkins is excited about the new expansion. “I’m looking forward to it. You know, it’s going to give us more space, another gym to use. There are some times that our guys can’t get on the court to get extra work in. This is going to provide for us the opportunity to get in the gym and get extra work outside of practice, which is really important,” he said.

But Simpkins is ready to get back to business.

“I want to win another Patriot League championship and I want to get back to the tournament. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about right now. I know there may be other job opportunities and stuff like that. You got to win first, and that’s the only thing I’m thinking about right now.”