lol @ the Cassell pic.
I wonder what the L-Train is doing these days.
Ask and ye shall receive!
(and although it doesnt say it, Lionel makes a living holding basketball camps across the country, alot on the East Coast, with other NBA superstars)
http://www.southwestphillyreview.com/view_article.php?id=7748
SPORTS – Nov 13, 2008
L-Train pulls into town
by Bill Gelman
Former Southern and La Salle basketball standout Lionel Simmons has earned membership into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.
When talking about the top basketball players ever to come out of Philadelphia, Lionel Simmons ranks No. 1.
Besides guiding South Philadelphia High School to a Philadelphia Public League boys’ championship, he went on to earn national accolades in the college ranks. The player known to many as L-Train is back home to receive his latest honor — induction into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame.
The event at the Hyatt Regency Penn’s Landing, 201 S. Columbus Blvd., 6:30 tonight will celebrate, among others, Maurice Cheeks, 76ers coach and 1983 NBA championship team member, South Philadelphia fighter Tommy Loughran and former Eagle Harold Carmichael. Championship teams the Phillies and Soul are among this year’s Pride of Philadelphia Winners, which recognizes those who made fans proud.
The Hall of Fame inducts individuals who performed in the city and locals who played or coached elsewhere, as well as teams and venues. Not including the new class, the shrine has 71 members.
“This celebration of Philadelphia’s all-time greats comes at an exciting time in our city’s sporting history, with the Phillies and the Soul having just celebrated championships this year,” Hall of Fame President Ken Avallon said in a press release. “We are proud and thrilled to be able to share the accomplishments of Class V with our past inductees, supporters and all Philly sports fans.”
Simmons earned his winning reputation at Broad Street and Snyder Avenue, where in ’86 he led the Rams to a 66-64 victory over University City. The 6-foot-7 forward, who turns 40 this week, filled the starring role with 21 points and 18 rebounds, but he didn’t venture too far from home for college, opting for La Salle University at Broad Street and Olney Avenue.
Today, the former Explorer is still considered one of the greats, if not the greatest, to ever play at the college. He remains the only athlete in La Salle’s history to tally more than 3,000 career points (3,217 to be exact). At the time of his 1990 graduation, Simmons ranked as the third-highest scorer in Division I history. Before leaving campus, he cleaned up on the national honors, too, winning the John R. Wooden, Eastman Kodak and Naismith awards, given annually to the nation’s top college player. The team excelled as well, compiling an overall record of 100-31 over Simmons’ four seasons. The school retired his No. 22.
Simmons went on to become a Sacramento King, where he was selected No. 7 overall and played for seven seasons before injuries forced him into early retirement.
