WEST PLAINS, Mo. – Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball player Nathane Simniok will be returning to his old stomping grounds in Taney County to finish his collegiate career.

Thursday afternoon, April 12, officials at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout announced the 6-foot, 6-inch sophomore forward from Forsyth, Mo., signed a national letter of intent to play for Steve Shepherd’s Bobcats for the next two seasons.

“The two major factors for deciding on College of the Ozarks are the fact that I have known Coach Shepherd for a long time, and I really like him,” Simnoik said today.  “In addition, College of the Ozarks is only 20 minutes away from my house.”

This past season, Simniok averaged 9 points and seven rebounds per game for the Grizzlies.  He shot 58 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range and 66 percent from the free throw line, and he was a first-team National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region 16 Team honoree.

Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Yancey Walker said he was happy for Simniok and added it will be hard for the Grizzlies to replace “such a great human being” next season.  “He did everything that was asked of him.  He was an all-region performer on the floor this year, but in 2009-10, he was an academic all-region performer,” Walker explained.

“Like I’ve said before, watching these young men move on to further their careers academically and athletically is bittersweet,” the coach continued.  “It will be different not having Nate around, and I will miss him greatly.”

Simniok said he was grateful for the opportunity to play at Missouri State-West Plains.  “I chose Missouri State-West Plains because I liked the town, and the people in it were friendly.  West Plains reminded me a lot of my hometown.  I also chose it because I saw an opportunity to improve as a basketball player,” he said.

Simniok will join a Bobcat team that finished 14-16 last season.  The Bobcats compete in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) and are a Division II National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) program.

For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit the team’s website at http://www.wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/bb.htm or call the Grizzly Basketball office at 417-255-7993.