'Ace of Diamon' heads for Turkey

MANILA, Philippines - Alaska import Diamon Simpson is packing his bags to play in the Turkish pro league and will forego a trip to Disneyland, team owner Fred Uytengsu’s bonus for the Aces’ victory in the just-concluded PBA Fiesta Conference.

Simpson will spend a week with his family in California before reporting for work in Turkey on Sept. 2. He flew out of Manila last night. The Aces, meanwhile, will leave for Anaheim on Sept. 8 and return to Manila on Sept. 14. They open training camp on Sept. 20.

“To Fred’s credit, I think his idea of rewarding the team with a trip is a very positive thing,” said coach Tim Cone. “It’s a tradition he started back in the ‘90s. He feels it’s important to celebrate our championships together. It keeps us going as a unit, giving us more momentum to continue winning. You can’t cash in if you don’t go. It’s use it or lose it, except for Diamon who’s the only exception since he’s got a commitment in Turkey.”

Cone said Simpson was just what the doctor ordered for Alaska but the franchise took a big $40,000 risk to bring him over.

“I scouted the NBA summer league in Las Vegas last year and Diamon was playing for the Washington Wizards,” said Cone. “I was checking out guys who were in the 6-6 bracket. One of them was Blake Griffin’s brother Taylor who later signed up with the Phoenix Suns. Diamon played briefly for the Wizards but what caught my eye was his tremendous length. From the Wizards, Diamon played for the Los Angeles Defenders in the NBA D-League under coach Chucky Brown.”

Cone said he has a certain affinity with the Defenders because of legendary coach Tex Winter, the so-called father of the triangle or triple-post offense.

“The Defenders play the triangle because their parent team, the Lakers, mandate it,” said Cone. “Tex spent some time with the Defenders and I attended some of their practices. Diamon is familiar with the triangle and we knew about the team he was coming from. The problem was we weren’t too sure about his height.”

Cone said former Alaska import Sean Chambers, now a high school principal and coach of a highly-ranked girls prep Amateur Athletic Union team in Sacramento, went to Los Angeles to measure Simpson.

“Sean measured him in every way possible, including lying on the floor, and told us he’s okay but barely a fraction of an inch less than 6-6 which is our import limit,” said Cone. “We had to make a hard decision and knew it was a gamble bringing him over. We paid $40,000 to buy out his contract and the amount was non-refundable. If Diamon failed the PBA height test, we wouldn’t get back our $40,000. We wanted Diamon because we knew he was perfect for us. When he arrived in Manila, we brought him to the PBA for an unofficial measurement and he came in under 6-6. A week later, he went in for the official measurement and he was 6-5 15/16, really close but he made it.”

Cone said Chambers prepared Simpson for the PBA grind before Alaska sent his plane ticket.

“Sean’s the best ambassador the PBA ever had,” said Cone. “He always speaks highly of the PBA wherever he is. The first thing he told Diamon when they met up was how he won eight titles with Alaska and that he’s a legend in the PBA. Sean wanted Diamon to feel that he won’t be just playing for an ordinary team, that he’ll be playing for a special team with a championship tradition.”

 Cone said despite Simpson playing only one conference for Alaska, he ranked the former St. Mary’s College standout as one of the team’s four best imports ever with Chambers, Rosell Ellis and Devin Davis.

“I think we’ve recruited over 40 imports through the years,” said Cone. “Four guys are at the top of the all-time list. But there were many others whom we remember fondly like Carlos Clark, Winston Crite, Marques Bragg and Derek Hamilton. Sean is coming back for our 25th anniversary Alaska reunion in late September or early October along with Jeff (Cariaso) who leaves (tonight) to settle in San Francisco with his whole family.”

Simpson, who turns 23 on Sept. 8, played four years for St. Mary’s College in Moraga, California, an NCAA Division I school run by the La Salle Christian Brothers. A two-time West Coast Conference defensive player of the year, Simpson finished his varsity career as the Gaels’ all-time leader in rebounds, blocked shots, steals and free throws made and attempted. Among other St. Mary’s basketball stars were Portland Trail Blazers and Australian Olympic guard Patrick Mills, former PBA import Mike Rozenski (Royal Tru-Orange, 1977) and Fil-Am center Ali Peek.

Simpson started in his last 98 games for St. Mary’s. He averaged 12.4 points in 128 total games from 2005-06 to 2008-09.

“When we signed Diamon, our staff was really excited because that kind of player is hard to get,” said St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett, quoted in Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook. “He gets steals, he gets blocks, he has a knack around the basket of getting loose balls and putting them back in and as his offensive game improves, he’ll continue to improve as a scorer. But he’ll always be a good defender, a good rebounder and a guy who gets steals. He’s just good at getting his hands on the ball - he’s gifted that way.”