He began the transformation by revamping a soft schedule. The program adopted a "play anybody, anytime, anywhere" mantra to compete with GA and the Peddie School, the Mid-Atlantic Prep League champion from 1997 to 2011.
"We just weren't giving our kids an opportunity to be competitive in those games because they hadn't seen basketball on that level," Simpson said.
Hill finally bested Peddie last year to advance to the MAPL title game for the first time since 2003. But the Rams still could not clear the GA hurdle; the Patriots ended their season in the independent school state semifinals.
This season, Hill coaches put together the toughest schedule possible. On Jan. 15, the Rams lost by 10 points to Cicero-North Syracuse (N.Y.), which is ranked No. 4 in the nation by MaxPreps.com. Connecticut-bound forward Breanna Stewart, considered the country's No. 1 recruit by many recruiting websites, scored 44 of Cicero's 62 points.
So, facing superstar Jaryn Garner and the mighty Patriots was nothing new to Simpson's "battle-tested" team.
"We certainly weren't intimidated, and we were ready to compete," he said.
It helped that the Rams had Claire Maree O'Bryan on their side. The guard was forced to take a postgraduate year at Hill because school in her native Australia ended after the deadline for college scholarships.
With experience playing in national tournaments, O'Bryan brought the "mental toughness and confidence" that Simpson sought.
She has teamed with senior point guard Deanna Mayza, her roommate in the summer, to form a potent scoring duo. Each scored more than 20 points against GA.
"We see the game in the same way, and both want to win, so that helps lead the team," O'Bryan said.
