The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Wednesday, January 24, 2018 — 7A
Simmons continues to earn trust, playing time
Coming into the year, the
departure of Derrick Walton Jr.
was perhaps the most painful
roster hit for the Michigan men’s
basketball team.
Jaaron Simmons was supposed
to make it hurt a little bit less.
The
former
Mid-American
conference star was coming off
a season in which he averaged
15.9 points, 6.5 assists and 3.5
rebounds per game for Ohio —
Walton-esque numbers. Landing
an experienced graduate transfer
in Simmons was another example
of coach John Beilein’s keen,
seldom-praised recruiting eye.
Because of his polished body
of work, Simmons was the early
front-runner for the Wolverines’
starting point guard spot. In
addition
to
Simmons’
past
production, the 2016-17 season
inspired little confidence that
then-freshman
point
guard
Zavier Simpson could shoulder
extra responsibility.
But fast forward nine months
since Simmons’ announcement,
and it looks like an experiment
gone wrong. His current statline
of 1.4 points, 1.4 assists and 0.7
boards is beyond falling off a cliff.
It’s hitting rock bottom. Until
recently, he sat behind Simpson
and freshman Eli Brooks.
Being relegated to the role
of the backup’s backup wasn’t a
shock, even to the casual observer.
Simmons looked uncomfortable,
either with sloppy ball-handling
or an inability to create a shot
for himself, a skill that was on
display with the
Bobcats.
After
registering
10.9
minutes a game
through the first
eight games, that
number
dipped
further
to
6.2
in the next 11
contests, five of
which he didn’t
play in. Coach’s
decision.
“We
had
different rules (than Ohio) that
he wasn’t picking up as quickly,”
Beilein said Sunday. “… He’s
handled it like a champion. I told
his parents they should be so
proud of how he’s handled it. He
gave up a lot to come here to play
on the big stage. It hasn’t worked
out so far.”
Against Maryland on Jan. 15,
though, it appeared that Simmons
had turned a corner. With 2:47
remaining in the first half, down
14 points in Michigan’s worst
first-half performance to date,
Beilein subbed Simmons in. At
the time, Beilein’s decision was
a head-scratcher — did he have
a good week of practice? Was
there an injury to Brooks or
Simpson? Either
way, it worked.
Simmons
capably piloted
a
6-2
run,
narrowing
the
halftime deficit
to 10, and scored
his
first
field
goal — a buzzer-
beating layup —
since Nov. 29 at
North Carolina.
The
choice
became clearer.
“We needed Eli to get his
confidence back,” Beilein said.
“… Where Jaaron, we put him
on the scout team, he did some
really good things. We just made
that flip. Eli watched the game
a little bit and we let Jaaron go.
He’s given us some things. He’s
playing better defense.”
In Michigan’s following two
games, Simmons’ numbers were
hardly showy — most wouldn’t
bat an eye at a combined six
points and two rebounds in a two-
game span — but they display a
previously unseen progression
in his game. He has assumed the
No. 2 role over Brooks as the first
point guard off the bench against
Nebraska and Rutgers.
In Sunday’s contest versus
the Scarlet Knights, Simmons
shot the ball four times in eight
minutes, tying a season high,
while Brooks didn’t see the floor.
It’s what regaining confidence
looks like after the toughest
stretch of his college career.
“Even though he didn’t make
his shots, all of them looked
good,”
said
junior
forward
Moritz Wagner. “I told him to
keep shooting, it looked great.
Jaaron’s a really good player, he
averaged like 18 points last year. I
never averaged that many points.
We all know he can hoop. I’ve
been very impressed with the
way he’s handling adversity this
year. That’s the sign of a great
teammate and he doesn’t care
about any person or agenda. He
just plays.”
Added Beilein: “I think down
the stretch, if he makes a couple
3s (against Rutgers) that he
makes in practice, I think we’re
talking about him a lot more right
now, and we will.”
It remains to be seen whether
Simmons’
trajectory
will
continue to trend upward. If
it does, it’s a change that the
Wolverines
would
welcome
with open arms. Simpson is
not the starting point guard
that Walton was — an offensive
lynchpin playing 35 minutes a
game. Simpson averages just
21.7 minutes per game. Having
a guy who can come in when
Simpson struggles could allow
the Wolverines to make some
noise come March.
A confident Jaaron Simmons
can be that guy.
Seniors lead Michigan
over OSU and Va. Tech
With less than a month
left
until
the
Big
Ten
Championships, the tri-meet
victory over No. 16 Ohio State
and No. 19 Virginia Tech this
weekend was a solid start for
the Michigan men’s swimming
and diving team.
The meet — held Saturday at
McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion in
Columbus — turned out to be
a battle until the last minute.
The seventh-ranked Wolverines
defeated the Buckeyes (157-143)
and the Hokies (196-104) for a
first-place victory in the second
meet of the year.
The
competition
against
Ohio
State
came
down
to
the
wire.
Michigan and
the
Buckeyes
were tied at 75
points halfway
through
the
meet. Though
Ohio
State
inched ahead after the half
with a victory in the 100-
yard freestyle, the Wolverines
swam with urgency, eventually
clinching
the
victory
with
the help of six consecutive
individual event wins.
The
upperclassmen
made
significant
contributions
en
route to the victory on Saturday.
“We were led by our seniors,”
said
Michigan
coach
Mike
Bottom. “There’s no doubt they
were the leaders. Evan White,
PJ Ransford, Tristan Sanders
and Paul Powers all led us in
different ways.”
White placed first in three
events including the 100-yard
(47.07) and 200-yard butterfly
(1:45.11). White also touched
first in the 200-yard IM with a
time of 1:48.10. With the help of
Ransford in the long-distance
events, Powers in freestyle
and Sanders in backstroke, the
Wolverines were able to tally
valuable points to secure the
team’s win.
Additionally,
sophomores
Jacob
Montague,
Jeremy
Babinet,
Tommy
Cope
and
Charlie
Swanson
came
out
victorious in the breaststroke
events.
Montague,
Babinet
and Swanson touched 1-2-3
in the 100-yard breaststroke
and Cope, Montague, Swanson
and Babinet touched 1-2-4-5,
respectively in the 200-yard
breaststroke.
As
for
the
diving
unit,
freshman
Ross
Todd
competed
in
Saturday’s
meet after sitting
out the Indiana
meet last week
due to an injury.
Todd
placed
third, the highest
among Michigan
competitors.
“The team was
tired but we came
down and worked hard this
week,” Bottom said. “We came
off a dual meet with Indiana and
got right back in to work. They
still got up and raced hard.”
Though
Michigan
battled
hard this weekend and pulled
out a well-earned win, Bottom
believes
there
are
several
things that can be improved
upon
before
the
Big
Ten
Championships next month.
“Today was preparation for
the Big Ten,” Bottom said. “I
hope everyone continues to get
better. In around seven to eight
swims, we got out touched by
less than 3/10ths (of a second).
Those are the things we have
to be tougher on. Make sure the
last five meters are Michigan
territory.”
JODI YIP
For the Daily
“The team was
tired but we
came down and
worked hard.”
After Lockwood’s injury, new second line emerges to propel Michigan’s offense
Fans didn’t even have a chance
to get comfortable at Yost Ice
Arena
before
the
Michigan
hockey team found Penn State’s
net Saturday night. Thanks to a
crisp pass from junior Brendan
Warren as he raced down the left
side, freshman Josh Norris got
a perfect set up for a textbook
one-timer just 26 seconds into
the game.
The goal was generated with
apparent ease, characteristic of
linemates who are well-adjusted
to sharing shifts and are familiar
with each other’s positioning on
the ice. However, for this line, it
had just been a matter of weeks
together.
Warren
and
Norris,
in
addition to sophomore Jake
Slaker, played as a unit for the
first time two weekends ago,
comprising
the
Wolverines’
second line in the Minnesota
series.
In light of Will Lockwood’s
shoulder injury at the World
Junior Championships — taking
the sophomore forward out
of commission for likely the
remainder of the season —
tweaks to Michigan’s second
line
were
inevitable.
What
wasn’t a given, though, was the
smoothness of their transition.
“We haven’t even really talked
about Will, within the team,
that we don’t have him,” said
Michigan coach Mel Pearson
after practice on Tuesday. “That
someone has to step up, they all
understand that. I think that
certain players take advantage
of opportunities. … and I think
(Warren, Norris and Slaker)
have.”
And not only did each of the
three individually step up to fill
the void, but they also clicked as
a unit.
In
the
series
with
the
Golden Gophers, this second
line
was
responsible
for
half of Michigan’s offensive
production. Warren supplied
two goals in the first game, and
then — just a minute into the
second game — was set up by
Norris to light the lamp for the
third time that weekend. Norris
got on the scoreboard as well,
burying the puck on a man-
advantage off a feed from Slaker.
Against the Nittany Lions
the following weekend, the line
showed its initial performance
was
no
fluke.
Collectively,
the trio accounted for three
of the weekend’s seven goals,
including half the goals in
Friday night’s shutout.
Pearson attributes this to
natural chemistry and each line
member’s versatility.
“They play off of each other,”
Pearson said. “They have some
speed, there’s some chemistry.
We talk about chemistry all of
the time, you can’t force it, it just
has to sort of occur naturally.
And it’s occurring.
“Brendan
has
some
physicality to him, I know Josh
does and Slakes does too. Slakes
moves the puck, you can see
the passing, they’ve been fun to
watch. They’ve got a little bit of
everything. … I think they’re all
a little more versatile (than the
top line).”
While it’s hard to make
a direct analogy to the top
upperclassmen line of seniors
Dexter
Dancs
and
Tony
Calderone and junior Cooper
Marody — who went on a
ten-game
stretch
providing
42.6
percent
of
Michigan’s
total
points
earlier
in
the
season — that doesn’t mean
similarities are non-existent.
This new second line has been
instrumental to the Wolverines’
recent dominance, and is a
sign that Michigan is building
offensive depth.
And the line is versatile, too.
Norris
and
Slaker
swapped
positions
following
winter
break, in addition to acclimating
to their new line.
Norris, who played alongside
freshman defenseman Quinn
Hughes and Lockwood in the
World Juniors, returned to find
he would no longer be playing
center,
but
instead on the
wing. In Norris’
absence,
Slaker
assumed
the
role of center for
the Great Lakes
Invitational and
handled
the
shift with grace.
Pearson decided
to let it stick.
“Jake
was
doing pretty well there,” Pearson
said. “So when Josh came back,
knowing he had played wing
a little bit in the World Junior,
we decided to try that, and slide
him in there and see how it was.
First game back at Notre Dame,
(Norris) scored. … With Josh I
think it’s important that he has
some versatility.”
And this would be the first
of many times Norris found
the net since reuniting with
the Wolverines. The freshman
has scored four goals over the
last five games,
including
two
multi-point
showings
over
that stretch.
But according
to Norris, these
accolades
have
much more to
do with his line
than they do with
his
individual
performance.
“I think we’ve found some
really
good
chemistry
the
last couple games, and we’ve
been hunting the puck on the
forecheck,” Norris said. “All
three of us can skate, so I think
we’ve been playing to our
strengths.”
Slaker echoed this sentiment,
adding how the trio’s stylistic
similarities have helped the line
find success.
“We were not shy of playing
in the corner,” he said. “We can
all do the same thing. We like
to skate, we like to grind on the
corners if we have to, but also if
the puck is on our stick in the
slot we know how to usually
find the back of the net.”
And yet, as extensive as the
line’s
accomplishments
have
been the past two weekends,
this was a mere four outings.
This leaves plenty of room for
the line to make tweaks and
build chemistry as Michigan
enters the final month of regular
season play.
“They haven’t had a lot of time
together,” Pearson said. “So I
only think they will continue to
get better, which I am excited
and encouraged about.”
ANNA MARCUS
Daily Sports Writer
ETHAN WOLFE
Daily Sports Editor
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Fifth-year senior guard Jaaron Simmons has earned more playing time recently after a tough start to his season.
“He’s given us
some things.
He’s playing
better defense.”
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
EVAN AARON/Daily
Freshman forward Josh Norris is a member of Michigan’s recently-tweaked — and productive — second line.
“I think we’ve
found some
really good
chemistry.”