SAN FRANCISCO – In her final complete basketball game as a prep player, Kalyn Simon won a State title with girls basketball powerhouse Archbishop Mitty. The high school junior scored 16 points in the Monarch's victory on March 23, 2012. As a senior, Simon took to the court but once, playing one half before injury struck. Sidelined for her final season at Mitty, and sitting out her first year for the Dons, Simon's path back to the court was arduous.
But the dividends of hard work are paying off for one of a trio of team captains. "My redshirt year allowed me to focus on my rehab while still being full incorporated into the team dynamic," notes Simon. "I was able to watch film, witness all my teammates develop, and grow stronger in the weight room. Last year, I still had to come back with rehab and get the flow of the game back so it took me a while, but coach as given me an opportunity this year so I've been doing my best to capitalize on it."
She played a role off the bench last season, and opened the 2015-2016 campaign in the same fashion. In USF's 14th game of the year, in front of a crowd of 5,733 people at Gonzaga, Simon found herself in a new situation. Rather than checking in from the scorer's table, the redshirt sophomore heard her name called as a starter.
"The first time I was announced as a starter I was nervous, but I did not want to get caught up in starting versus coming off the bench," recalled Simon. "When you start, you have to be ready and locked into the game plan from tip off. The first five on the court set the tone for the game and get into the flow of the game faster, but both coming off the bench and starting have challenging roles."
As one of the first five for the Dons, she has been firing away, and the defensive-minded Simon turned on her offensive prowess from beyond the arc. In USF's game at Pepperdine on Jan. 16, she finished the contest hitting 5-of-7 from downtown, leading the Dons to the win against the Waves with a new career-high of 18 points. Whether starting or on the bench, locking down her man or swishing shots, Simon is at the ready to help her team in any way possible. "As a captain I try to focus on leading by example," she said. "This year we have a team full of leaders so being captain is a great honor, but I honestly just try to be a good teammate and picking my teammates up when they are down (USFAthletics)."
2016-2017 WCC ALL-ACADEMIC
2015-2016 WCC ALL-ACADEMIC HONORABLE MENTION
2016-2017 - JUNIOR (9.5 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 1.3 APG): Started in all 30 games in which she appeared... ranked third on the team averaging 9.5 points per game... scored a career-high 22 points at San Diego on Dec. 29... matched that total two games later at Saint Mary's on Jan. 7... scored 20 points while knocking down a season-high four 3-pointers at Fresno State on Nov. 30... ranked ninth in the WCC at 35.8 percent from long distance on the year... her 38 three-pointers made were the third-most on the team... tallied 15 points with a career-high six assists in the season opener against Sacramento State... missed one game at Gonzaga (Jan. 5) while recovering from a concussion... earned a spot on the WCC All-Academic team... ranked third on the team in minutes played at 29.8 per contest.   Â
2015-2016 - SOPHOMORE (3.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 1.3 APG): Posted career highs of three defensive rebounds and 21 minutes played in USF’s season-opener at North Texas ... added four points on 2-for-3 shooting and two assists against Cal Poly ... assisted on three scoring plays at Utah Valley ... recorded first career block and was 2-for-2 from the line against North Dakota ... finished with a career-high six rebounds, four offensive, at Sacramento State on Nov. 28 ... added a career high three steals against San Francisco State on Dec. 19 ... earned her first career start at Gonzaga on Dec. 31 ... scooped up a career high nine rebounds at Portland on Jan. 2 ... played 43 minutes and scored six points while adding four steals against San Diego on Jan. 7 ... registered her first double-digit scoring effort against BYU on Jan. 9, finishing with 13 points on .500 shooting ... added 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting at Loyola Marymount on Jan. 14 ... scored 18 points on 5-for-7 shooting from 3-point range at Pepperdine on Jan. 16 ... finished with 12 points, going 4-for-4 from the line against Portland on Jan. 28.
2014-2015 – REDSHIRT FRESHMAN (1.0 PPG, 0.5 RPG, .333 FG%): Played in 14 games for the Dons … scored a season-high five points in USF’s win at Portland on Feb. 5 … added seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals for USF.
2013-2014:Â Redshirt season.
PREP CAREER:Â The Monarchs compiled a 75-21 overall record in Simon's three seasons on the team ... member of State Champion team as a junior ... scored a game-high 16 points in the finals victory ... named Second-Team All-West Catholic Athletic League ... Defensive Player of the Year ... placed third in the triple jump and fourth in the long jump as Mitty won the WCAL team title as a sophomore ... member of the Principal's Honor Roll ... Campus Ministry Medallion.
PERSONAL:Â Majoring in International Studies with a concentration in environment and development at USF ... daughter of Damien and Maria Simon ... Â enjoys baking, traveling and photography ... born June 30, 1995. She graduated from USF in 2018 with a Masters in Global Studies and earned a second Masters at University of Santa Clara in Business in 2023. She volunteered at USF on the Board of Directors for one year 2021-2022.Â
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