When college basketball players work on their games over the summer, they are usually trying to develop their shooting, rebounding or passing.
University of Maine sophomore guard Anne Simon devoted time to her defense when she returned to her native Luxembourg.
That’s because the European game is distinctly different from the American style of play. Not nearly as many fouls are called in Europe.
“That’s a big adjustment for all Europeans coming over, especially guards,” UMaine coach Amy Vachon said. “If you go over and watch any game in Europe, it’s a very physical game, really physical for the guards.”
Simon previously found herself picking up fouls, especially involving her hands and hand-checks, that wouldn’t have been whistled in Europe. So she has adapted, taking a hands-off approach to improve her defensive play.
“You can’t really use your hands [here],” Simon said. “So I worked on keeping my hands in more.”
Going into Friday’s 5 p.m. America East championship game in Orono against Stony Brook, the 5-foot-8 Simon ranks second on the team with 12.8 points per game and is third in rebounding with 5.4 per contest. She is also averaging 2.3 assists and 1.7 steals.
Simon ranks fifth in America East in scoring and is shooting 46.4 percent from the floor.
“You have to learn how to play defense here with your arms,” UMaine senior guard Blanca Millan said. “It’s a process.
“Anne is a really, really smart player so she figured it out pretty quickly,” said Millan, who is from Spain.
Simon, who said she takes pride in her defense, has averaged 2.1 fouls per game this season compared to 2.8 last season. Her efforts have helped the Black Bears post the sixth-stingiest defense among 336 Division I teams, limiting teams to 52.1 points per game.
Simon was the league’s Rookie of the Year and an All-America East second team pick a year ago and she earned first team honors this season.
“I want to become a more well-rounded player,” Simon said.
In addition to her defensive improvement, she has also become a better 3-point shooter.
She is shooting 33.8 percent from the 3-point arc after connecting at 29.6 percent last season.
“She really worked hard in the off season on her 3-point shot and she has shot it really well,” Vachon said. “Last year, teams used to sag off her because she was so strong attacking the basket.
“She is really competitive. She’s a bulldog. She is such a sound and strong player and she has become very versatile for us,” Vachon said.
Simon said she has benefited from the team’s year-round conditioning program, which includes time in the weight room as well as their on-court work.
“I’m stronger and more athletic now,” Simon said.
Millan said Simon has been a clutch performer who continues to improve.
“When we need her, she steps up,” Millan said. “She can score, she can play defense, she works hard every day and she keeps getting better. Sometimes we forget she’s only a sophomore.”
Simon has adapted nicely to living in foreign country. She said she really likes her teammates and that there are a lot of similarities between Luxembourg and Maine.
Regular-season champion UMaine is 17-2 and No. 2 Stony Brook is 14-5.
“I’m really looking forward to it. It should be a good game,” Simon said after the teams split a regular-season series on Long Island.
Simon lists her favorite hobby as online shopping, an industry that has flourished worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have to tell myself to stop sometimes,” she said with a laugh.