LAKEWOOD, CO – The Colorado Christian athletics department is pleased to announce the hiring of Liam Simmons as its ninth men's basketball head coach in program history.

The Australian-born Simmons has most recently served as the head coach of the Franklin Bulls in New Zealand's National Basketball League. Simmons joins the Cougars staff with a wealth of knowledge and passion for the game.

"We are excited to have Liam Simmons join the Colorado Christian Athletics Department.  Liam brings a clear vision of the type of athletes he desires to recruit, along with an excellent national and international network of prospective student athletes who will fit Colorado Christian's mission and vision," said athletics director Brian Wall. "Additionally, Liam's passion for and knowledge of the game, combined with his unique ability to personally support his players while holding them accountable, we believe, will result both in positive team culture and a high degree of competitiveness on the floor."

"I consider myself very fortunate to have this opportunity and would like to thank Colorado Christian President Dr. Sweeting and athletic director Brian Wall for allowing me to be part of such a tremendous University. I am excited to have the opportunity to build a program that will represent Colorado Christian with excellence, both on and off the court, and I am certainly looking forward to developing a culture within the basketball program that is built to last," said Simmons.

"The RMAC is a very competitive conference that has very talented players and great coaches competing within it. I am humbled to have the opportunity to compete against them and excited by that opportunity. I would like to take this moment to thank all the people that have poured into me over the years to help me get to this place in my career (far too many to name) - I am forever grateful and appreciative. I would also like to thank the Franklin Bulls organization for allowing me to be part of their journey in New Zealand, they went above and beyond in such a difficult and unprecedented time. I am excited about the future and look forward to getting started at Colorado Christian. It's a great day to be Colorado Christian Cougar."

During the 2018-2019 season Simmons stepped away from college basketball to focus his effort and energy on enhancing the skills of individual players at the NBA and professional level. As a skill development coach, Simmons based himself in Philadelphia and worked with several players, but dedicated his time and focus to specifically working parallel with the Philadelphia 76ers staff, supporting their coaches in the development of All-Star Ben Simmons.

Simmons has NCAA coaching experience at the Division I and II levels. In 2018 Simmons enjoyed an opportunity to work at University of California Riverside under fellow Australian, and mentor, head coach David Patrick. He also gained collegiate coaching experience at Southwest Baptist (MO) under head coach Clark Sheehy. Simmons spent four seasons (2014-2018) with the NCAA Division II school, earning a promotion in the final two seasons as the program's associate head coach. Before his four seasons with the Bearcats, he was an assistant coach at Nichols State (LA) during the 2013-14 campaign under head coach J.P. Piper.

In addition to his NCAA coaching experience, Simmons also made a stop for one season at NAIA San Diego Christian as an assistant coach. He also served as the head coach for the Northwest Christian High School (AZ) boys varsity team,

He earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in Kinesiology in 2007 from San Diego Christian. Simmons also has a Master Degree in Education from Australian Catholic University in Melbourne (2008). 

Simmons will relocate to the Denver area in the coming weeks.