Bozeman Guard Commits to Eastern Oregon
By Danny Waldo
It’s been about a month since Bozeman High finished their season in the 2018 Class AA state championship in Billings, a game the Hawks lost to Great Falls-CMR, but the disappointment of that loss is still fresh in the minds of many of Wes Holmquist’s players.
But good news arrived for senior point guard Robbie Simpson as he recently committed to continue his basketball career at Eastern Oregon University, an NAIA program based in LaGrande, Oregon.
Simpson joins fellow senior Mack Anderson (UM Grizzly Signee) in continuing his career at the next level, as he will join Carlito Labarda Jr.’s program in the Fall of 2018. Labarda Jr. just completed his first season at EOU after serving on the Carroll College staff under Dr. Carson Cunningham.
EOU finished the 2017-18 season 21-8, earning a No. 5 seed in the Cascade Collegiate Conference playoffs where they fell in the quarterfinals 97-73 to Southern Oregon.
Simpson averaged 8.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game for Bozeman this past winter, while shooting 80% from the free throw line. He also led the team in assists (3.3 per game) and steals (1.9 per game), both good for 5th in Class AA. He improved his scoring average to 13 points per game in postseason play, hitting on better than 50% of his shots from the field in helping Bozeman to their third consecutive runner-up trophy.
Simpson will be joining a squad that graduates five seniors meaning opportunities for minutes could come early in his career in LaGrande.
