Coaches of No. 16 seed teams are often put in the spotlight when their teams play in March Madness, not just for their coaching ability as underdogs but also for their animated passion displayed on the sidelines. This was seen Wednesday night when American Eagles coach Duane Simpkins had an emotional reaction to his team’s performance.
American HC Duane Simpkins Gets Technical After a Questionable Foul
With 2:29 left in regulation, American trailed Mount St. Mary’s 81-72. Eagles forward Greg Jones was charged with a reach-in-foul call that stunned coach Duane Simpkins, so much so that he fell to the floor on the sidelines.
[Highlight] American HC Duane Simpkins receives a technical foul for falling down in disbelief of a foul called against AU’s Greg Johnson
byu/slotretriever inCollegeBasketball
While his reaction was hilarious, many people think the foul call and technical were both a little unnecessary.
American was already down its leading scorer, Matt Rogers after he tweaked his right knee early in the game and later made it worse by trying to play through it.
Simpkins commented after the game, “This kid has worked really, really hard…He’s come a long way. It’s going to make him a better player moving forward. It’s going to make him a better person, learning how to deal with adversity. It was disappointing to see him go down like that, for sure.”
Rogers was named a finalist for the Lou Henson Award, which honors the top player in mid-major college programs. He finished the year with a 16.7/5.5/1.3 (pts, rebs, asts) stat line while shooting an efficient 55.8% from the field, which ranked him in the top 40 in the country.
Many expected him to enter the transfer portal last season, as he drew attention from various top programs, but he decided to stick it out with the Eagles.
“I feel like I still had a lot left in my heart for these guys because y’all don’t know what goes into this process of being a college basketball player.”
MORE MARCH MADNESS: ‘This Is What March Madness Is All About’ — Fans React to Mount St. Mary’s Classy Gesture
Coach Simpkins is determined to push through after reflecting on American’s 83-72 loss to the Mountaineers.
This season, CollegeInsider.com named Simpkins a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year Award. The award recognizes coaches who display success on the court while exemplifying outstanding character off of it. He was also named a finalist for the Ben Jobe Award, honoring the top minority coach in DI basketball.
The Eagles won their first Patriot League title since 2014 and their fourth overall with a 74-52 blowout victory over Navy. However, they have yet to win an NCAA tournament game, now 0-4 in March Madness play.
They finish the season with a 22-13 record and will look to end their March woes in 2026.
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