Darryl Simmons became Putnam Science Academy’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made on Feb. 21 when he drained one from the left wing roughly midway through the first half of the Mustangs’ 104-52 win over We Believe Academy.
“I’m leaving a mark until I leave here,” said Simmons, who also still has a chance to join the school’s 1,000-point club. “I’ve got to let people know there’s a new leader to chase!”
Simmons’ first 3 of the game was the record-breaker and came on his second attempt. He entered the game tied with Hassan Diarra with 140 3s in his career. He finished with three 3’s among his 15 points.
As for passing his friend and former teammate Diarra, Simmons said: “Hass was a guy who was here for a long time and he set a lot of records and set a high standard. So to break one of those records and continue to set a high standard myself, like he did, it’s a big deal.”
Tom Espinosa said, “It’s a special record. Obviously, you have to be a terrific shooter, and Darryl is. He’s worked hard at that. And you have to be here for multiple seasons and be on the court enough. Darryl and his family have trusted PSA since he was in eighth grade, and he worked his way onto the Prep team at the end of his third year, and he’s been a leader for us ever since. He could end up with the 3-point record, 1,000 points, and three national championships. He will always be one of the names associated with the Mustangs.”
Simmons and the Mustangs finished their regular season this past weekend and open postseason play this weekend with the Power 5 Conference Tournament. The National Tournament will be held March 8-10 at Clark University. PSA is guaranteed to play at least four games in the postseason, and could play as many as six. Simmons enters the playoffs with 144 career 3-pointers and 893 points. He is averaging 11.3 points per game for the 33-3 Mustangs.
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy

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