Alumnus is founder and general manager of International Sports Training Institute

Purdue Calumet helped me to be a more determined person. I developed my desire and truly started to believe that I could do whatever I put my mind and heart to.

Benjamin Simmons couldn't stop himself from helping a kid who was using bad technique to shoot a basketball. That's how it all started. Now, Simmons is founder and general manager of the International Sports Training Institute (ISTI) in Houston.

According to Simmons, a former Purdue Calumet basketball standout and 1992 bachelor's degree graduate in sociology, he spent a lot of time in the gym training to continue his basketball career professionally.

"Training itself, to reach such a high level, is a full-time job," he said. "I would spend eight hours a day in the gym. Unfortunately, I could not work a regular job and train, so I was struggling to eat. One day, I noticed a kid working out, and he was shooting incorrectly. The teacher and coach in me could not resist showing him the correct way. The next day he came back with his father, who asked if I could train his son for the summer. That's how I started training."

From this experience ISTI was born. ISTI is a collection of sport schools that specialize in basketball, football and soccer. ISTI's mission is to provide an advanced understanding of sports relative to training, psychology and wellness. This mission is implemented through ISTI's 4 Principles of Sports Training and 4 Habits of Successful Athletes and Individuals, which Simmons developed after studying various sports.

According to Simmons, ISTI has clients from 6 to 56-years-old, including family members of such current and former National Basketball Association players as Antonio Daniels of the Washington Wizards, Sean Elliot (San Antonio Spurs), Steve Kerr (Chicago Bulls) and Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics). Also, ISTI trains CEOs. In August, ISTI trained corporate executives for Michael Jordan's Flight school.

Additionally, training has taken ISTI to international travels, including Madrid, the Canary Islands and the Bahamas. ISTI trains foreign students and takes American athletes to international tournaments.

"The trips also serve as a great learning experience for students to see first-hand how other kids all over the world love to play sports and how many of them live," Simmons said.

Simmons credits God with his success.

"I know that God triggered my success," Simmons said. "At Purdue Calumet, I was a new single dad. I had full custody of my son, Josh, and took him everywhere with me. This experience has really helped me focus and understand that I was going to have to work harder to accomplish my goals."

His leadership roles at Purdue Calumet, he said, also helped him reach his goals. He served as president and vice president of the Black Student Union, captain of the Purdue Calumet men's basketball team, a member of the Student Government Election Committee and a member of the Chancellor Search Committee. He also participated in the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program.

"The person who influenced me the most was Roy Hamilton (Assistant Vice Chancellor for Educational Opportunity Programs)," Simmons said. "He taught me how to use the computer, how to be an aggressive thinker and how to begin to be an effective leader."

"What I appreciate the most of my experience at Purdue Calumet is the freedom to express myself and the opportunity to learn at a world renowned university," he said. "Purdue Calumet helped me to be a more determined person. I developed my desire and truly started to believe that I could do whatever I put my mind and heart to."

Simmons invites anyone interested to visit the International Sports Training Institute website at www.istisports.com.