SOUTHSIDE — Harley Simmons and the Southside Panthers are off to a hot start on the hardwood.
The Panthers are 15-1 and will be the No. 1 seed in the Etowah County tournament which starts Monday at Hokes Bluff High School. Southside plays the winner of Gaston and Sardis at 6 p.m. in the semifinals Wednesday.
Before the Panthers defeated Hokes Bluff 35-26 at home Saturday, Simmons at down with The Times. She talked about the Etowah County tournament, Southside’s rivalry with Hokes Bluff, ‘Gossip Girl’, an embarrassing childhood memory and more in this week’s Timeout with The Times.
GT: Why do you wear No. 20?
HS: We ordered new jerseys last year and they didn’t send my No. 21 so I just had to switch to 20.
GT: Southside is off to a hot start. What’s been the key to it?
HS: We’ve really focused on being more of a team — like getting along. We have team dinner a lot. I think really just the key to being a good team is liking each other and getting along with each other off the court and everything on the court will fall into place.
GT: With the Etowah County tournament coming up, what does it mean to you?
HS: Well, really, it’s just another game to me. I’d probably put the area tournament obviously ahead of it because there is more at stake there. But usually it’s us and Hokes Bluff so that’s what everybody looks forward to. If you’ve ever been to the county championship, it is packed out. It’s always a good game.
GT: Is it a team goal to win the county tournament?
HS: Yes. Yes, definitely. It’s always been a goal of ours but we’ve always come up short. So we are hoping this will be our year.
GT: I know area games are most important, but I always look forward to the Hokes Bluff, Southside game. Is that something the team feels the same way about?
HS: Yeah. They asked the other day who is one of your biggest rivals and every girl in the locker room (said) ‘Hokes Bluff! Hokes Bluff! Hokes Bluff!’ They were like, ‘We thought you would say an area team.’ But everybody in the county usually looks forward to us and Hokes Bluff. It’s always a good game. A good fight.
GT: If you had to play another sport, which would you choose?
HS: Probably volleyball. Actually I played volleyball this year for the first time ever. The coach, she texted me right towards the end of the school year and said ‘Hey, I think you’d be good at this. Would you like to try?’ And I was like it’s my senior year so why not? So I did and it was a lot of fun actually. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. I wish I would’ve started earlier.
GT: Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?
HS: Every game before, we are in the locker room and we pray. We always put our right foot in because we are the right team to win.
GT: Is there something you would like to learn to do?
HS: I don’t know. Probably play an instrument because that’s something you a lot of people can do but you don’t know about. I just think it would be cool.
GT: Embarrassing childhood memory; do you have one?
HS: One time, well this was when I was in middle school. We were prepping for a game at Rainbow Middle. I was at the top of the bleachers and one of my friends was standing at the concession stand area. And was like, ‘Harley, come here! Come here!’ I said, “OK!” and I took one step and tumbled all the way down the bleachers in front of everybody (laughs). It was really embarrassing.
GT: Oh no. Did you get hurt?
HS: No. I just kind of jumped up like I hope nobody saw that. I tried to play it off like I was tying my shoe (laughs).
GT: What are some of your favorite shows that you’ve binged watched?
HS: ‘Gossip Girl’. I have actually watched it multiple times. I started watching ‘One Tree Hill’ but I really couldn’t get into it. ‘Friends’ definitely. ‘Gossip Girls’ and ‘Friends’ are probably the two that I just love.
GT: Did you have a New Year’s resolution?
HS: I did and it was to eat healthy food and drink more water. But it hasn’t worked out for me (laughs).
GT: What has been your favorite high school sports moment?
HS: Probably last year. We played Fort Payne. We crossed with them after we won the area. We hosted area for the first time. That is the best season that Southside basketball that I know they’ve ever had. It was just a big honor to be apart of it and make it that far. I hope we make it further this year to Jacksonville.