Every team needs a leader, and for the women's basketball team, red-shirt junior Ka-Deirdre Simmons fills that role as the team's captain.
Last season, Simmons ranked 10th in the Big East Conference with a team-leading 3.9 assists per game and finished second on the team in scoring with 11.9 points per game.
Simmons also led the team in steals last year with 63, and had 122 total assists last season which put her ninth in program history for single-season assists.
"As the only captain I have a lot of weight on my shoulders," Simmons said.
"I just have to stay confident, keep my patience, remain tough and just continue to lead the team."
In her two seasons at Seton Hall, Simmons has a .333 shooting percentage, 194 assists, 109 steals and 571 total points in 61 games played. She was forced to sit out the 2011 season due to a knee injury.
Simmons said she is optimistic about the upcoming season and will look to surprise some of the non-believers who ranked the Pirates last in the preseason coach's poll.
"I believe were going to score a lot of points," Simmons said. "We're definitely looking to compete and win these out-of-conference games, and then go into conference with confidence and come out on top."
"We still have a lot to work on but when it's time to play or practice we just have one common goal, and that's to win."
Simmons is a Newark native studying communication at Seton Hall and said that her leadership transitions into her academic career.
"I want to be a leader off the court as well," Simmons said. "I just want to take that same effort and energy I put on the court and make sure I do it off the court."
Mike Romano can be reached at michael.romano1@ student.shu.edu.
