The Plant City Vipers went 2-3 in their first tournament of the 2016 season, held last weekend in Auburndale, but several players performed well. Chief among them was shooting guard Matt Simpson, who scored 83 points over the team’s five games played. Simpson is also a sophomore at Plant City High, where he plays point guard for the Raiders. Simpson wins a $25 giftcard from GNC at Walden Woods. He can pick up the giftcard at the Plant City Times & Observer office, 1507 S. Alexander St. #103.
What was working for you?
My shot wasn’t going down, and I wasn’t hitting my free throws either. But I was getting to the hole easily.
Your coach (Wade Rogers) called you “unstoppable.”
I guess.
How do you feel about the Vipers this season?
We’ve got a lot of young players. A lot of the seniors left.
How did you guys do over the weekend?
We went 2-3. We got to the championship game, but we lost pretty bad.
It happens. What position are you playing?
For the Vipers, I’m playing shooting guard.
And for high school?
Point guard.
How long have you been playing basketball?
I started rec league when I was 9. I’m 15 now.
What first got you into basketball?
I started watching Duke play basketball, and I just fell in love with it.
I like North Carolina, so I think we’re done talking about college basketball. But who’s your favorite athlete?
Kobe Bryant.
Who’s your pro team?
The Lakers.
Are you sticking with the Lakers when Kobe retires this week?
Yeah. I think he needs to retire. It’s kind of hard to watch him playing so bad lately. But it’s kind of sad, too, since he’s going to be gone. But it’s D’Angelo Russell all day.
If you could play for any pro team, what would it be?
Orlando.
Want to stay close to home?
Yes, sir.
Do you have any college prospects?
I’d like to go to University of Tampa.
Any idea what you want to major in?
I’ll figure it out when I get there.
You get to meet any famous person you want. Who would it be, and what would you want to do?
Kobe. I’d want to go to the gym and shoot around with him.
You get $1 billion in the bank one day. What’s the first thing you buy?
A car. I’d buy a Ferrari.
You get any superpower you want. What would you pick?
Spider-Man’s power.
Let’s say a little kid comes up to you and asks for advice on how to be good at basketball. What do you tell him?
Just work hard. That’s it.
What was the biggest thing you worked on when you were young and trying to get better?
I actually watched a lot of YouTube videos. Drills and stuff. I would do them at my house, or I went to the YMCA.
What is one area of your game where you want to get better at?
Strength.