KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan men's basketball program and head coach Dwayne Stephens have announced the signing of Tafari Simms, a transfer forward from Milwaukee. Simms joins the freshman quartet of Max Burton (Williamston, Mich.), JaVaughn Hannah (Mount Clemens, Mich.), Seth Hubbard (Jonesboro, Ga.) and Jefferson Monegro (LaSalle, Quebec), as well as Cal State Fullerton transfer Tray Maddox Jr. (Novi, Mich.), as the newcomers for WMU in 2022-23.  
 
"We are excited to add Tafari to our program," Coach Stephens said. "Tafari has a lot of great game experience which we value. His size and athleticism will be a huge asset on both ends of the floor. We are excited about the role someone like him can fill. We are ready for him to get to Kalamazoo and look forward to the impact he will have on our program."
 
Simms arrives at Western Michigan having spent the last two seasons at Milwaukee. This past season, the Hamilton, Ontario, native saw action in 27 games and started 12 for the Panthers. Simms averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 43.2 percent from the floor and 89.2 percent from the free throw line. He netted double-figures seven times, including a season-high 19 points against IUPUI. Later in the campaign, he notched a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds) in a win over Horizon League champion Wright State.
 
During his first season with the Panthers, Simms made 16 appearances off of the bench, posting 7.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He connected on 45.1 percent of his field goal attempts, 40.0 percent from downtown and 76.9 percent from the charity stripe. In a win over IUPUI, he netted a career-high 32 points, the highest single-game total by a Milwaukee player since January 2016.
 
Simms began his collegiate career at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Perkington, Miss., where he tallied 9.3 points and snared 5.3 rebounds per contest while shooting 50.5 percent from the field. He then transferred to Western Texas College, where he played in 33 games, starting 31, for a Westerners team which went 23-11. That season, he averaged 11.8 points and 6.8 rebounds in just 21.4 minutes per game. Simms hit 48.2 percent of his field goals, 42.1 percent of his three-point tries and 73.0 of his free throw attempts.
 
During his prep career, Simms played a pair of seasons at St. Jean de Brebeuf, leading the Braves to back-to-back HWCAA league titles and earning the team MVP award his junior year. He played his final year and graduated from St. Mary's Catholic High School in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He also played two seasons with Grassroots Elite Canada.