EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville men’s basketball coach Marty Simmons has announced the signing of three players to National Letters of Intent to begin play at UE beginning in the 2013-14 season.
 
Included in the class are Jaylon Brown, Duane Gibson and Blake Simmons.
 
“We are very excited about the class we are bringing in this year,” head coach Marty Simmons said.  “With the seniors that we have this season, we feel that these guys can step right in and make an impact next year.”
 
A 5-11 guard, Jaylon Brown will attend UE after finishing out his high school career at Fishers (Ind.) High School.  Brown led Fishers with 13.2 points and 2.8 assists last season and was rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.
 
“Jaylon is one of the fastest, most explosive guards in the state of Indiana,” Simmons said.  “He has the ability to score and make everyone around him better; his signing continues our tradition of UE signing quality players from our home state.”
 
Duane Gibson, a 6-3, 190 guard, is a native of Cleveland, Ohio and played his high school career at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High.  His alma mater is a hotbed in sports as basketball players Clark Kellogg and Kevin Edwards attended as well as football players Mike Golic, Elvic Grbac and Desmond Howard. 
 
In his junior campaign, Gibson averaged 12 points and 8 rebounds.  He was named to the Preseason All-Ohio First Team in the fall 2012. 
 
“Duane is a very talented guard who plays in one of the most storied programs in the United States,” Simmons commented.  “He has tremendous size, speed, explosion and strength for a guard, he also has the uncanny ability to raise the level of others around him.”
 
Blake Simmons, son of head coach Marty Simmons, will come to UE from just down the road in Newburgh, Ind. where he played at Castle High School.  The 6-5 guard averaged 19.7 points and 6.9 rebounds per game last season while shooting 41% from three-point range.
 
Simmons led the Knights to a 20-5 record in 2011-12 along with its second Class 4A semistate appearance.  He was named to the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association All-State First Team a season ago.
 
“I am very excited to have the chance to coach my son at the collegiate level,” Coach Simmons said.  “Blake is a very versatile player who can dribble, pass, shoot and rebound the ball.  His basketball IQ and ability to see the floor allows him to make the guys around him better.  His competitiveness and desire to get better epitomizes what we look for in an Evansville basketball player.”