Ballarat Rush sign Jasmine Simmons

The Ballarat Rush have announced that Jasmine Simmons has signed for the remainder of the 2021 NBL1 South Season.

Simmons comes to the club from Gol Gol on the Victorian and New South Wales boarder at Mildura where she played for the Mildura Demons Basketball Club before heading overseas to play College Basketball for Oregon State University.

Simmons was excited to come home to Australia and continue her basketball in  NBL1 South.

"I am so blessed to have the opportunity to be back in Australia playing for the Selkirk Ballarat Rush for the remainder of the 2021 season," she said. 

"I am beyond excited to be in Ballarat and can't wait to get on the court alongside my new teammates."

For Simmons, she is keeping it simple and hoping to contribute to the team across the board.

"For the remainder of the 2021 season, I am hoping to contribute to this program in the best way that I can, whether that is on or off the court," she said.

"I am hoping that our team can finish the season off strong and that we put ourselves in the best position to shoot for finals."

The Ballarat Rush have played a heavy road schedule in the first half of the season but with eight out of the thirteen remaining NBL1 South Games to be played at the Ballarat Sports Events Centre, the Ballarat Supporters will have plenty of opportunity to get to games and get behind the teams.

"I cannot simply wait to step on the court at the new Ballarat Sports Events Centre in front of the Ballarat Community," she said. 

"Everyone that I've met so far have been extremely welcoming and have made me feel right at home. 

"The Ballarat Community is an amazing support system and I am excited for the day I am able to play in front of them."

Head Coach of the Ballarat Rush Eric Hayes was looking forward to adding Simmons to the roster.

"Jasmine is a very talented player with some high-level experience after playing State level and national level before heading to the States to play Division 1 at Oregon State University," he said. 

"We are extremely excited that she is joining the Ballarat Rush for the remainder of the season to give us an extra lift after a challenging start to the season.

"Jasmine is super talented on the court but more importantly she is a lovely person so she will be a great fit for our team going forward this season."

Hayes provided an insight as to what Ballarat can expect on the court from Simmons.

"Jasmine is a high-energy player that can score in many ways and defensively she does a great job of reading the play to create opportunities for steals," Hayes said. 

"What we will expect will be much clearer once she is here and training with the team and finding her spots offensively for scoring opportunities and we will get a much better opportunity to understand her skill set and how they fit with this group.

"As a team, we welcome Jasmine to the Selkirk Ballarat Rush and we all look forward to her joining us on the court."

The Ballarat Miners and Rush are expected to be back at home soon following further announcement from the NBL1 South regarding the rescheduled fixture.