So naturally, his parents handed him a basketball and pointed him toward the nearest courts.
But, despite his height, basketball wasn’t Simer’s sport.
“I never fell in love with it,” he said.
“That’s when we thought what would be the next best sport for someone his height,” his mother said.
When her son was in the sixth grade, she suggested volleyball, and after mixed results those first two seasons in the Lakota Sports Organization, Simer settled on volleyball.
The Lakota East High School athletic department and boys volleyball coach are thankful for that decision.
Simer, a 6-foot-9 senior, leads the Greater Miami Conference in kills (206) and aces (40) for a Lakota East team that has a 13-2 overall record and 5-0 in the GMC.
The ThunderHawks’ two close losses came against perennial boys volleyball powers Moeller and Elder high schools.
He also plays on a club volleyball team, Columbus Vanguard, and plans to continue his volleyball career at Northern Kentucky University and study finance.
“He made the right decision,” his mother said. “I like to remind him of that. It all worked out.”
“My mom never lets me forget it was her idea,” he said with a laugh.
He enjoys volleyball because of the “strong connection” he makes with his teammates, he said.
“You can’t carry a team by yourself,” he said. “Volleyball is so special.”
Since he started as a freshman, Simer has grown five inches taller and matured physically as a player.
His coach, Bryant Kuhlman, agrees.
“He’s a pretty big force,” said Kuhlman, who is two inches shorter than Simer. “He has developed a whole new skillset. He has transformed over time.”
Not only is Simer a feared killer, he’s an accomplished blocker and passer, his coach said.
“He’s a nice luxury to have for sure,” said Kuhlman, who played volleyball at Lakota East.
He also has made a difference off the court, his coach said.
“Stepped into a leadership role,” he said of Simer, one of his five seniors. “He leads by example. He has become more vocal.”
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