DUNK CITY, Fla. – Redshirt freshman forward Antravious Simmons, who transferred from VCU earlier this month, has joined the FGCU men's basketball team as the 6-foot-9, 250-pound South Miami native will start classes in January and be eligible for the Eagles following completion of the Fall 2015 semester.
 
Simmons, who played for head coach Robert Doctor at South Miami High School, will have three years of eligibility with FGCU. The former consensus three-star big man was rated as the 25th-best center in the nation in the class of 2013 by ESPN.com, and as a junior he averaged 26 points and 15 rebounds per game.
 
Coming out of high school, Simmons received scholarship offers from Kansas State, Memphis, Miami and South Carolina, among other programs. He ultimately chose VCU, known for its up-tempo "Havoc" style of play, as the Rams have been to four-straight NCAA Tournaments and the 2011 Final Four.
 
"We're excited about Antravious joining the program," said FGCU head coach Joe Dooley. "He's a quality, high-character person that we want. He'll be a great fit into our style of play."
 
Simmons – a former offensive lineman who will be the biggest player on next year's team as it's currently comprised – used a redshirt year his freshman campaign at VCU to transform his body. The traditional post player appeared in three of VCU's eight games this year before his transfer announcement was made.
 
"We appreciate the contributions that Antravious has made to our program for nearly the past two years," said VCU head coach Shaka Smart in a statement. "We wish him nothing but the best as he moves to the next stage of his career."
 
Simmons was on the first of what is now back-to-back state final four teams at South Miami in 2013 – the highest level (8A) of high school basketball in Florida. Simmons played his AAU ball with Team Breakdown – the same club as current FGCU freshman Zach Johnson, who is redshirting for medical reasons.
 
FGCU is expected to lose two redshirt senior frontcourt players – 6-foot-10, 227-pound Nate Hicks (Panama City Beach, Fla./J.R. Arnold HS/Georgia Tech) and 6-foot-7, 218-pound Marcus Blake (Miami, Fla./American Heritage HS) – to graduation following this season, in addition to redshirt senior 6-foot-6, 215-pound combo wing Jamail Jones (Atlanta, Ga./Montverde Academy/Marquette).
 
Simmons is the fourth addition to next year's team as the Eagles will also lose the backcourt duo of Brett Comer (Winter Park, Fla./Winter Park HS) and Bernard Thompson (Conyers, Ga./Rockdale County HS) to graduation. Dooley and his staff have already signed point guards Reggie Reid (Harlem, Ga.), Eli Long (Mississauga, Ont.) and combo guard Rayjon Tucker (Charlotte, N.C.) each to a National Letter of Intent during November's early-signing period.
 
FGCU is off to a Division-I program-best 8-2 start to the season heading into Friday night's home contest against Furman (2-6). The Eagles – who are ranked No. 17 in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and have an RPI ranking of 76 – have already defeated four 20-win teams from a season ago (UC Santa Barbara, Ohio, San Francisco, Massachusetts) and another (South Dakota State) which won 19 contests. General-admission tickets to Friday night's game are still available and can be purchased by visiting the Alico Arena Ticket Office or by calling 239-590-7145.

FOLLOW ALONG
General-admission tickets for all FGCU men's basketball games at Alico Arena are still available and can be purchased by logging on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets, in person at the Alico Arena Ticket Office or over the phone at 239-590-7145. For up-to-the-minute information and behind-the-scenes access to the men's basketball program, follow @FGCU_MBB on Twitter and Instagram, and "Like" us on Facebook at /FGCUMBB.
 
COACH DOOLEY 
FGCU is led by second-year head coach Joe Dooley, who coached three all-conference selections during his first season and guided FGCU to its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular-Season Championship and first trip to the NIT. Prior to arriving in SWFL, Dooley spent 10 seasons as an assistant at Kansas under head coach Bill Self. During those 10 seasons, Kansas produced 300 wins, nine straight Big 12 regular-season titles, six Big 12 Tournament championships, six NCAA Sweet 16s, five NCAA Elite Eight appearances and two Final Fours, including the 2008 National Championship.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE 
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visitwww.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.