Simpson’s Men’s basketball team is off to a hot start this year, winning five of their first six games of the season. The team has played very well together, but a lot of the spark can be attributed to two transfers this year, Andrew Gibb and Easton Darling. 

Both are new to Simpson this semester, and one of the two has been a leading scorer in every game so far. Through six games, they are leading the team in scoring, both averaging 18 points a game. Darling transferred from Central Missouri and Gibb transferred from Briar Cliff University. They were both looking to rediscover their love for the sport, and it’s safe to say they have. 

Simpson’s family-like atmosphere can make it easy for new students to feel at home and provide them with the support needed to succeed. 

“After games, I’ll be walking in the halls and other coaches or professors will say good game to me, so Simpson has felt like a tight-knit community for me,” Darling said. 

When asked about how they’ve been able to come in and make an immediate impact, the two gave a lot of accountability to the rest of the team. 

“It’s our teammates and coaches putting us in good positions. This team shares the ball really well, so although us two have led in scoring so far, it could be five other guys on any day, which makes it so much fun to play, and I think that’s why the crowd has enjoyed watching so far this season,” Gibb said. 

Other players strongly contributing to the scoring are senior Andrew Curran who has averaged 11.7 points a game and fifth-year Chris Honz who has averaged 10.3.

Due to COVID-19 guidelines, Darling is a sophomore on the court while Gibb is a junior, so the two will have more time to experience and improve Simpson Basketball. However, It didn’t take them much time to find a bond. 

“We met each other at an open gym, and right off the bat, we clicked, so it made sense that we would be roommates, and it makes even more sense that we have an unspoken bond on the court,” Gibb said. 

They’ve found a great relationship with each other, and it looks like they’ve found a great relationship with the rest of the team. 

Darling’s decision to come to Simpson also brought him closer to home, as he went to Winterset High School. Playing here means his family members can support him much easier.

 “It’s nice because my grandparents and the rest of my family can come to a lot of games, but at Central Missouri, they could only make a couple of games a year,” Darling said. 

The transfer to Simpson has proved to be a good decision for the basketball-playing roommates and they are looking forward to competing the rest of the year for the conference title. Their next conference matchup will be against the Coe Kohawks on Dec. 3 in Cowles Fieldhouse at 4 p.m.