Marla Simmons enters her eighth season as assistant women’s basketball coach at East Stroudsburg University in 2023-24. The Warriors have earned PSAC quarterfinal appearances during three seasons with the program, including a spot in the PSAC Final Four in 2016-17.
Simmons also enters her third year serving as the Title IX Deputy Investigator and as an active member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee here at ESU.
Simmons is one of 22 members on the PSAC Social Justice Task Force, which is a group that will represent a broad spectrum of backgrounds with the common goal of combating racism and injustice while focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion within the league. The purpose is to assist the PSAC and its member institutions in developing and recommending policy, programs, initiatives and education for the awareness, improvement, and success of the conference's efforts in diversity, inclusion, equity and social justice.
ESU bounced back in the 2022-23 season as the Warriors finished 15-14 overall and 11-11 in the PSAC while returning to the conference tournament for the first time since 2019-20. As a team, the Warriors ranked 26th in NCAA Division II with 57.4 points allowed per game, 38th in 3-pt percentage (34.1), 48th in 3-pt defense (28.0), 49th in turnover margin (2.93), 53rd in assists per game (14.2) and 55th in turnovers forced per game (19.10). Graduate student guard Ryan Weise was named to the All-PSAC East First Team and as the Lehigh Valley Small College Basketball Organization's Pete Nevins Player of the Year.
In 2019-20, the Warriors had a 20-10 overall record and 15-7 mark in the PSAC East before advancing to the PSAC Semifinals after defeating Bloomsburg at home in the opening round. As a team, ESU 22nd ranked in NCAA Division II with 13.2 turnovers forced per game, 23rd in scoring defense (57.0), 36th in fewest turnovers (397), and 45th in assist to turnover ratio (1.05).
ESU finished 16-11 overall in 2017-18, placing second in the PSAC East standings with a 14-8 conference record despite having only one senior and two juniors on the roster. The Warriors earned a bye into the quarterfinals for a second-straight year before seeing their season end with a defeat to Millersville. Senior guard Imani Brown became the first ESU player to be named PSAC East Player of the Year since 1995, while Brown (first team) and sophomore guard Tiffany Lapotsky (second team) earned All-PSAC East accolades.
Simmons and head coach Diane Decker guided the Warriors to their best season in 10 years the previous winter, as ESU finished with a 19-9 record while booking a spot in the PSAC Final Four for the first time since 2006-07. Brown, Allison Howard and Noelle Powell were all named first team All-PSAC East, marking the first time in program history that the Warriors had three athletes recognized on the first team.
ESU went 15-13 in Simmons’ first year with the program, including wins in 14 of the final 20 games to reach the PSAC Tournament for a fourth-consecutive season. Decker was named PSAC East Coach of the Year, while Howard earned first team All-PSAC East status.
Simmons is a 2015 graduate of Bloomsburg, where she was the PSAC East Athlete of the Year and a WBCA All-America honorable mention selection as a senior under Decker, who was an assistant coach for the Huskies.
Simmons was a member of four straight NCAA Division II Tournament teams at Bloomsburg and reached the regional final during her junior and senior years. She was named to the Atlantic Region All-Tournament team as a senior.
In the PSAC East, Bloomsburg won four straight divisional titles and captured the PSAC championship in 2013. She was a four-year letterwinner and team captain as a senior. The Huskies had a 102-22 record in her four seasons as Simmons appeared in all 124 games, starting 56.
During her senior season, Simmons led Bloomsburg with 14.4 points per game, ranked second with 5.7 rebounds per game and first with 3.1 assists per game.
Simmons was a Dean’s List student and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science. She received her master’s degree in Sport Management from ESU in May, 2018.
