Simpson soars for men’s basketball team.

He has dabbled at the point guard position and eventually turned into a dominant post player powerful enough to knock any opponent to the ground.

In the world of college basketball, Anthony Simpson has the dunking ability to leave defenders in awe. The big guy has a decent shot, too.

Game after game, it seems the senior forward can shift the tempo for the Flashes with just one of his forceful dunks. Players, coaches and fans alike have seen his ability to either get the crowd into the game, or out of it.

“I like to just dunk,” says Simpson, who prefers the windmill dunk. “For me to come off the bench and for me to dunk it gets everybody in tune to the game.

“It brings so much energy. It’s just so much fun that way.”

Kent State coach Geno Ford witnesses Simpsons’ ability to dunk more than most people. Ford said Simpson has a great dunking ability because of his natural athletic ability.

“He is probably our best dunker,” Ford says. “Anthony knows what he’s doing. He’s a big time athlete. I don’t want to jinx him but I don’t think he’s missed a dunk in a game.”

Simpson, who averages 5.8 rebounds and 8.2 points per game, has the post game of a seasoned college athlete. But he hasn’t always played a position that requires a post presence.

The 6-foot 8-inch, 215-pound player experienced some time at the point guard position at Auburn High School.

Simpson attributes his minutes as a point guard to his success at Kent State.

“In high school I did a little bit of everything,” says Simpson, who gained experience in all aspects of the game because high school basketball is more of an “individual game.”

Ford gives credit to the amount of improvement Simpson has shown over his two-year stay at Kent State.

“He understands tempo, he understands good shots and bad shots,” Ford says. “He’s also extremely unselfish.”

Simpsons’ all-around game play is exemplified by his accuracy behind the arc. He shoots a team-leading 41.7 percent (15-for-36) from 3-point range.

Despite his ability to connect on outside shots, Simpson remains selective unselfish with the basketball.

“The only knock I have on Anthony is his unselfishness is at such a high level sometimes you want him to be more aggressive,” Ford says. ”In an era where most guys are a little bit too selfish he is, if anything, too unselfish.”

Although his days at playing the point guard are in the past, Simpson says he prefers to maintain his role as the guy on the bench that can be called on to make a big play.

But if needed, he doesn’t mind being called on as a shooter.

Contact sports reporter Cody Erbacher at [email protected]