‘I Love This Place’: Former Hoosier Marty Simmons Reflects On His Return To Indiana

Marty Simmons coaxed a good first half out of his Panthers, but the good times didn’t last.

Eastern Illinois Panthers head coach Marty Simmons reacts to a call during the second half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – For one half, it appeared that Eastern Illinois coach Marty Simmons might make his return to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall a winning one.

Eastern Illinois led No. 17 Indiana 37-36 at halftime and by five early in the second half. The Panthers were red-hot from long range as they made 50% from 3-point range and Eastern Illinois made 59.3% of its shots overall before halftime, a mix of good Eastern Illinois shooting and indifferent Indiana defense.

Could the former Hoosier get a shock victory on his old home hardwood? Alas, the good times did not last for the Panthers.

Indiana straightened out its act on both ends of the floor after halftime. The Panthers only made five field goals overall in the second half – a paltry 16.7% clip – and Indiana amassed 54 second-half points on its way to a 90-55 win.

Naturally, Simmons lamented the second half, but he was proud of the Eastern Illinois effort in building a lead. The Panthers had the Hoosiers reeling for large parts of the first half.

“We played pretty hard. I thought we got deflections. I thought we played with confidence. They knocked us on our heels at the beginning, we regained it,” Simmons said after the game.

“We had a segment in the first half where we were playing pretty good. We were competing,” Simmons continued. “We’re not going to match their size and physicality, but we’ve got speed and quickness. We weren’t getting to the rim and trying to score over (Oumar) Ballo. We didn’t play it sped up. So that was kind of the difference in the two halves.”

Simmons is in his fourth season in charge of Eastern Illinois. He is 29-68 at the Charleston, Ill.-based school. In 2024, he coached Eastern Illinois to its best Ohio Valley Conference season since 2020 as the Panthers were 8-10 last season.

Before the game, he was concerned with how his team would react to Indiana guards Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle.

“We were concerned with (their) ball pressure. That eventually was kind of our tell-tale in the second half. Those guys can really get after it,” Simmons said. “Playing with pace in the half-court with ball and player movement, when we did that our level of success was far better. When we let their pressure speed us up and dribble the ball more we weren’t as successful.”

Simmons thought the struggles the Panthers had in the second half with their shooting affected their performance at the other end of the floor. Indiana converted 64.7% of its second half shots.

“I thought they really increased their pressure and we didn’t handle it the right way. We got sped up and our half-court execution wasn’t very good. The lack of execution on offense hurt our defense,” Simmons noted.

Simmons played at Indiana from 1983-85. He started 35 of the 53 games he played with the Hoosiers as he averaged 6.9 points in his two seasons before he transferred to Evansville to complete his career. Simmons averaged 24.3 points in his two seasons with the Purple Aces.

It wasn’t the first time Simmons has coached at Assembly Hall. He coached Evansville from 2007-18 and the Purple Aces played at Indiana twice while Simmons coached the Aces, most recently in 2013.

“I love this place. I think they have some of the most passionate fans in the country. The support system of former players, former coaches – second to none. I wouldn’t trade my two years and the opportunity that I had to play here for anything in the world,” Simmons said.

Simmons also paid tribute to former teammate Daryl Thomas. Before Indiana’s game against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville last Wednesday, Kyle Thomas was recognized as being Daryl's son and was given a round of applause by the Indiana faithful. Daryl Thomas, a co-captain on Indiana’s 1987 national championship team, died in 2018.

Kyle Thomas played for Simmons during the 2022-23 season before he transferred to Bradley and then to SIU-Edwardsville. Simmons recalled his father fondly.

“He's one of the hardest working, best teammates I think I ever played with. I’m not sure Indiana’s had a player improve and make the impact on a national championship team like Daryl did,” Simmons said.

“He always had that charismatic smile. Always cared more about the people in the room than he did of himself. He’s special,” Simmons concluded.

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• JACK'S TAKE: Indiana can take the next step if Kanaan Carlyle and Luke Goode start to make shots. CLICK HERE.

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• POINT SPREAD: Indiana is back in action on Sunday, taking on Eastern Illinois at Assembly Hall. Here's the latest on the point spread, with a thorough look at how both teams have done vs. the number. Lots of interesting trends. CLICK HERE