Whether that is zooming around the basketball court or getting in focus behind the camera, Simmons enjoys it all.
The Melbourne native has joined the Southern Hoiho this season and has brought her camera in tow, having worked as a freelance photographer for about the the past four years.
Simmons, who has spent the past couple of years playing professionally in Europe, loved the chance to explore and capture different parts of the world.
"I love the lifestyle with the basketball seasons [in Europe] ... and also to explore new parts of the world, and meet new people and immerse yourself in the culture," Simmons said.
"When I go travelling to these countries ... you’re busy, you’ve got basketball six days a week and you have one day off.
"So if your body allows for it, or if you’re up for the challenge, I love to go clear my mind with my camera."
Simmons, 28, is making the most of her first time in New Zealand and the Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa franchise has played a big role.
"It’s really refreshing to play in such a supportive and friendly team environment and just a beautiful place in the world.
"Another really great thing about the club is that they’ve been immersing us and doing lots of team activities ... getting to know the city and Otago and bringing in the Maori culture as well. So we’re getting a lot of hands-on experiences."
That included a trip to Queenstown during the preseason and recently visiting the conservation efforts for the yellow-eyed penguins — which the Southern Hoiho are named after — on the Otago Peninsula.
She grew up in Melbourne and then headed to Wagner College, a division one school in Staten Island, and then wrapped up her final year with a stint in Florida.
Covid hit, so she returned home to Australia, before jetting off to start her professional career in Slovenia with Cinkarna Celje. They won the Slovenian Cup and the European Waba League during her tenure in the 2022-23 season.
She then inked a contract with the Melbourne Boomers in the WNBL, but injury cut her time short and she headed back to Europe.
"I had the European bug".
She linked up with the MBC Syntainics in Germany for the 2024-25 season, wrapping up earlier this year before landing in Dunedin.
The Tauihi League had always interested Simmons, so when the call came from the Hoiho she jumped at the opportunity.
The Hoiho are on a three-game winning streak and are starting to click. They mounted a massive comeback last week to beat the Northern Kāhu 95-86.
"Last game was a huge testament to our character and willingness to get it done, because we were down by 19.
"I don’t think I’ve been in a team that’s been down by that much and then be able to turn it around to win the game. It was pretty cool to be a part of."
Simmons has made handy contributions too, averaging 14.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and has the highest two-point and field goal percentage for the Hoiho.
The Hoiho have a big rematch tomorrow against the Tokomanawa Queens, who dropped their first game 80-73 to the Hoiho earlier this month.
"We know it’s not going to be an easy game.
"They have a lot of really talented and hard working players, so we need to just bring the same fight — even more probably than last time because maybe they’ll be a little angry from when we took them last time."
The Whai pumped the Kāhu 85-67 to remain top of the table on Thursday. The Queens have a doubleheader, having played the Mainland Pouakai away last night.
