After yet another successful season that resulted in Trinity Women’s Basketball’s third consecutive SCAC championship and an NCAA playoff appearance, head coach Cameron Hill (‘99) and the Tigers prepare for another season with high expectations. Among the returning faces is second-year assistant coach Kelly Simmons (‘22), who played for four years under Hill and joined the staff last season.
Both coaches are Trinity alums and former standout athletes, and their strong relationship has enabled great success both on and off the court. In the first Coach’s Corner article since 2021, both coaches discussed how their experience has helped their work, their jump to coaching and so much more.
Both of you are former Trinity athletes who were successful players, but what made you decide that coaching would be the logical next step?
Hill: “It was pretty much my life plan. I grew up a coach’s son, and getting into coaching after playing was kind of a foregone conclusion from when I was in diapers.”
Simmons: “I think I would have ended up in coaching no matter what, and it was something I tried to fight coming out of college. When push came to shove, I realized that I wanted to be a part of basketball and coaching. It worked out with [former assistant coach] Joe [Shotland] going off to UTD [the University of Texas at Dallas]. There was a month of uncertainty, and then the opportunity popped up, and I would be a fool not to take it.”
Coach Hill, what growth and changes have you experienced in your twelve seasons as a coach?
Hill: “First off, I’ve got a lot more gray hair. My kids are in their teens now, which is an awesome period of time. I think every year is an opportunity to get better and lean into new things. There’s an old adage that ‘You can’t float the same river twice because the water’s always different,’ and the same is true with coaching basketball. No matter what happens, every season is a new adventure with new opportunities.”
Coach Simmons, does getting to play with current athletes like Maggie Robbins and Bailey Timmons help when you’re coaching them?
Simmons: “The coolest thing about them is that they’ve embraced me pretty wholeheartedly. I have complete faith and trust in them, and they’re doing whatever they can to win. I’m grateful to have that kind of time with everyone. I get emotional thinking about them.”
Coach Hill, what’s it like getting to work with one of your former athletes?
Hill: “It’s a tremendous opportunity to have a former student athlete who knows this school inside and out. It’s an incredible resource both for incoming players and recruits as well as our current players. Kelly played with a lot of these players, and it’s really cool. The continuity between the players that knew her as a teammate and now get to experience her as a coach is big.”
Coach Simmons, how does being a former player for Coach Hill help the working relationship between you?
Simmons: “The easiest answer is trust. I have a lot of trust in him, and he has a lot of trust in me, and that helps make for a great partnership.”
What do you think are each other’s biggest strengths?
Simmons: “I think Cameron’s biggest strength is his patience. He’s not going to yell, and there’s a patience both on the court as a basketball player and off the court as an individual. His basketball knowledge is comparable to none so he’s patient knowing that he’s got the basketball stuff locked down.”
Hill: “Well, Kelly’s incredible at stickball and pickleball, but in terms of basketball, it’s her enthusiasm and willingness to learn. She has a huge enthusiasm for being good at her job and doesn’t have an aversion to learning at all, and those are two incredible attributes.”
If you were remaking the triathlon, but you couldn’t use running, swimming or cycling, which three sports would you choose to compete in?
Hill: “A hole-in-one competition, followed by skeet shooting and the finisher would be kicking a 40-yard field goal.”
Simmons: “I’d choose a Home Run Derby, some form of weightlifting and then a free throw competition.”
What’s one thing you want to say to the world?
Simmons: “Come to some of the Trinity Women’s Basketball games. I don’t have too much to tell the world. There’s a lot of stuff going on, and it feels like there’s always stuff being said.”
Hill: “Be nice.”
