The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Sports
Friday, March 9, 2018 — 7

Doubt Zavier Simpson? Prepare to be proven wrong

When he first came to campus, 

Isaiah Livers didn’t know much 
about Zavier Simpson.

So during one of the Wolverines’ 

summer workouts, the freshman 
forward 
decided 
he’d 
post 

Simpson up. It seemed like obvious 
mismatch. Livers, listed at six-foot-
seven, 230 pounds, is one of the 
most physically imposing players 
on the Michigan men’s basketball 
team. Simpson, meanwhile, is 
sturdy but stands at a layman’s six-
foot-nothing.

Livers 
bent 
his 
knees 
for 

leverage, faked one way and 
attempted to beat Simpson going 
the other. He got nowhere. At that 
moment, Livers learned everything 
he needed to know about Simpson.

“I tried to post up on him — no 

way,” Livers recalled last weekend. 
“He’s so low to the ground.

“He’s a pitbull.”
And if Simpson’s a pitbull, the 

defense is his marked territory.

Teammates 
are 
quick 
to 

acknowledged that the diminutive 
point guard keys the Wolverines’ 
ninth-ranked 
scoring 
defense. 

Livers 
calls 
him 
Michigan’s 

energy guy. Junior forward Mortiz 
Wagner said he’d be lying if he 
didn’t say Simpson sets the tone 
defensively.

Simpson knows this. He says 

he’s 
the 
Wolverines’ 
middle 

linebacker on hardwood, where is 
energy is contagious.

“If they see me start doing it,” 

Simpson said, “they’ll start doing 
it.”

On the surface, it’s no surprise 

that Simpson is where he is. That 
power and grit he flashed against 
Livers has helped him become an 
essential part of a Michigan team 
primed for a deep run in the NCAA 
Tournament.

But none of this came easy to 

Simpson. At almost every stage of 
his career, he has been doubted, 
looked over and passed up.

Many 
players 
would 

become 
discouraged 
by 
such 

disappointments. But that’s the 
point: Most players aren’t Zavier 
Simpson. 

***
Back in high school, Simpson 

probably 
irked 
some 
of 
his 

teammates, especially when it 
came time to run.

Quincy 
Simpson, 
Simpson’s 

father and coach his junior and 
senior year at Lima Senior (OH), 
would put 60 seconds on the 
scoreboard. The drill was simple: 
Run 10 lengths of the floor in the 
allotted time — suicide style.

The whistle would blow, and 

the whole team would burst off 
the baseline — with the exception 
of Simpson. He wanted more of a 
challenge, starting after each of his 
teammates had run the first length, 
charging towards them like a mad 
man while yelling in their faces.

“He wouldn’t always win,” 

recalled Lima Senior assistant 
coach Brock Howe. “But he would 
still make it under a minute and 
beat half the team.”

And when his teammates didn’t 

make the time, Simpson would 
really go in. He’d yell for another 
60 seconds to be put on the clock 
repeatedly until all his teammates 
made it. Sometimes, it got to the 
point where even his coaches 
wanted to move on. 

“He would call out every kid 

who didn’t make it like, ‘You’re 
faster than that, you’re faster than 
that,’ ” Howe recalled. “ ‘Man, 
you’re going to state in track, and 
you can’t make this time? Because 
you’re soft.’ ”

It was that type of work ethic 

and 
leadership 
that 
defined 

Simpson’s high school career.

Even when they weren’t at the 

same school, Quincy and Simpson 
would head to the YMCA for 
workouts at six in the morning 
four times a week. And when 
Simpson didn’t think that was 
sufficient, they went even earlier — 
sometimes 5:00 or 5:30.

“Everything that he’s gotten at 

this point has been earned,” Quincy 
said. “He wasn’t blessed with a lot 
of natural abilities, so therefore we 
had to work extra hard.”

Added Howe: “I’ve never seen 

anyone enjoy being in the gym 
more than him.”

It all soon began to pay off. 

Simpson scored 59 and 65 points 
in games during his senior year. 
Scouts crammed into high school 
gyms to watch him play. He was 
rated as a four-star recruit, and the 
offers started to stack up.

For a while, though, there wasn’t 

one from Michigan. Coach John 
Beilein and his staff were instead 
focused on Detroit Jesuit star 
Cassius Winston — their primary 
point guard target for the 2016 
class.

Winston, however, was set on 

Michigan State. That opened the 
door for Simpson to fall in love with 
Michigan and follow the footsteps 
of fellow Ohioans Trey Burke and 
Caris LeVert.

But even as Simpson found a 

home with the Wolverines, he 
wouldn’t forget about Winston — 
the man who could’ve taken his 
spot.

***
Simpson was hesitant to admit 

it publicly before 
the 
semifinals 

of 
Big 
Ten 

Tournament. But 
he craved another 
battle 
with 

Winston. So much 
so that fifth-year 
senior 
forward 

Duncan Robinson 
said Simpson was 
literally 
licking 

his 
fingers 
in 

anticipation of the matchup.

It showed. Simpson was keyed 

in during an emotion-filled affair, 
diving for loose balls and talking 
trash throughout. He held Winston 
to a lackluster 3-for-10 effort, as the 
Wolverines topped the Spartans en 
route to back-to-back conference 
championships.

For all the firepower Winston 

has and all the criticism Simpson 
receives 
for 
his 
offensive 

shortcomings, the stereotypes have 
been flipped in their two matchups 
this season. Winston was stymied 
twice, shooting just 35 percent 
with 22 total points. Simpson, 
meanwhile, scored a combined 31 
points on 9-of-16 shooting.

And therein lies another piece 

to Simpson’s game: he takes every 
matchup personally. It doesn’t 
matter if it’s suicides in a high 
school practice or postseason 
basketball in Madison Square 
Garden.

“I’m not the type of guy who 

likes to get scored on,” Simpson 
said. “When you have pride in your 

defense, you’re not going to be 
passive. You’re going to take things 
personally if you get scored on, 
and you’re gonna try to win your 
matchup.”

That’s something Quincy has 

preached throughout his son’s 
basketball career, emphasizing the 
value of taking the opposing player 
out of the equation.

In an age where point guards 

are becoming more and more 
offensively adept, Simpson is a 
rarity. A look around the country 
and the NBA shows that an efficient 
outside stroke is paramount, and 
youth and high school coaches are 
teaching accordingly.

In that sense, Simpson is an 

old-timer. Defense, not shooting, 

comes first.

“I feel like it’s 

just my mindset 
and 
my 
pride,” 

he said. “Just not 
wanting him to 
score — that’s what 
it 
comes 
down 

to. 
There’s 
no 

secret, no special 
ingredient, 
just 

taking it personal 
and not wanting to 

let him score.”

But with that mindset comes 

aggressiveness — and sometimes 
too much of it.

Simpson 
played 
just 
nine 

minutes per game last season. Of 
course, he was behind a four-year 
veteran star in Derrick Walton. 
But when Simpson saw the court, 
fouls kept him on a short leash as 
he averaged nearly six infractions 
per 40 minutes.

“Last year, we couldn’t put 

him on the floor because he’d foul 
somebody within 30 seconds,” 
Beilein recalled, “and it wouldn’t 
help anybody.”

Though Simpson had moderate 

expectations for his freshman year, 
he didn’t realize being a backup 
would equate to such limited 
playing time — which contributed 
to some apprehensiveness.

Simpson 
seldom 
looked 

comfortable on the floor. He 
couldn’t finish around the rim. His 
offense stalled frequently.

“I always told him there was 

no reason to be timid or second-

guessing himself,” Walton said. 
“We already (thought) he was good 
enough. We know you’re good 
enough.”

Naturally, Simpson’s struggles 

culminated in frustration. Here 
was a player who’d always been the 
best on the floor, now barely seeing 
it.

“It was definitely a hard pill to 

swallow,” Quincy said.

Added Walton: “I told him, ‘I’m 

only here for a couple more months. 
So you only got to deal with this for 
a little longer.’ ”

***
It was supposed to be a 

straightforward progression for 
Simpson. Learn behind Walton for 
a year, then run the show the next.

But a month after Walton 

played his last game in a Michigan 
uniform, Beilein called Simpson 
into his office. The message was 
direct: The coaches hadn’t seen 
enough out of Simpson; they had 
decided to add graduate transfer 
Jaaron Simmons as insurance. 

Suddenly, it seemed like Simpson 

would have to wait another year to 
take the reins. Simmons was a star 
at Ohio, averaging nearly 16 points 
and seven assists per game. He 
possessed the offensive acumen 
the Wolverines had missed with 
Simpson on the floor.

“I had three options,” Simpson 

said. “Beat him and (freshman 
point guard Eli Brooks) out for the 
position, be in-between, or be last.”

Simpson chose the first. Thanks 

to his knowledge of Beilein’s 
complex offensive system, Simpson 
was the starting point guard at the 
onset of the year.

But he wouldn’t be there for 

long. Those fouls crept back into 
his defense. He couldn’t move the 
ball effectively on the other end. 
Beilein thought Michigan’s offense 
had more flow with Brooks. 

So just four games into the 

season, Beilein made the switch. 

“Zavier didn’t earn it,” Beilein 

said. “He was starting because he 
knew more than the other guys, 
and then he wasn’t doing some of 
the intangibles you need.”

It was back to square one for 

Simpson. This was supposed to be 
his opportunity. Yet, a freshman 
had just taken his job.

The possibility of Simpson 

transferring 
seemed 
realistic. 

He already didn’t match Beilein’s 
traditional, 3-point heavy offense. 
Now, he’d been handed another 
roadblock in young career already 
chock-full of frustration.

But that’s not Simpson. He’s too 

hardworking, too competitive to 
quit.

“We 
never 
even 
discussed 

(transferring),” Quincy said. “I 
told him to keep his head up, 
keep working. I told him to be a 
good teammate and challenge 
and compete daily in practice. It’s 
adversity.”

***
After a month of inconsistency 

at the point guard spot, Simpson 
returned to the 
Wolverines’ 
starting 
lineup 

on 
Jan. 
6. 
As 

has 
sometimes 

been 
the 
case 

this 
season, 
his 

performance 
didn’t exactly stick 
out in the box score 
— five points on 
1-for-5 
shooting. 

Still, it was a vote 
of confidence from his coaches — 
one that Simpson needed.

In the games that followed, he 

began to play more freely and, most 
importantly, became a player who 
Beilein could trust to play both 
ways.

“It’s not like the other guys 

flunked the test,” Beilein said. “He 
became a defensive stopper, and 
a guy who was playing winning 
basketball.”

Since taking back the starting 

job, Simpson is averaging almost 10 
points with four assists per game, 
helping Michigan find an offensive 
rhythm it occasionally missed 
earlier in the year.

In 
mid-January, 
when 

Nebraska’s defense stalled the 
Wolverines by switching screens 
— a strategy Beilein anticipated 
others would follow — it looked 
like 
the 
Cornhuskers 
had 

cracked the code to defending 
Michigan. Instead of relying on 
Wagner’s pick-and-pop game, the 
Wolverines needed a slasher to 
keep the opposition honest.

Simpson stepped up. Against 

Purdue’s 
massive 
frontcourt 

two games later, he rendered the 
Boilermakers’ defense ineffective 
with a newfound aggressiveness, 
scoring 
16 
points 
en 
route 

to 
Michigan’s 
best 
offensive 

performance of the season.

“At the beginning of the year, 

he still had some of his rough 
spots,” said assistant coach Saddi 
Washington. “At the point things 
clicked, the game slowed down for 
him, and he really was able to take 
control of the team on both sides 
of the ball. I think that’s when our 
team really started to catch our 
flow.”

Of course, just like in high 

school, 
Simpson’s 
influence 

extends beyond just the floor.

On Feb. 24, Michigan finished 

the regular season on a six-game 
winning streak, capped off by a 
drubbing of Maryland in College 
Park.

During 
the 
next 
practice, 

though, a sleepy feeling loomed 
around the team.

“We were just lethargic,” Beilein 

said.

So Beilein turned to the player 

who could most effectively ignite 
his team. Not captains Duncan 
Robinson 
and 
Muhammad-Ali 

Abdur-Rahkman. 
Not 
Wagner. 

Rather, it was Simpson who Beilein 
called over.

“I talked to Zavier, ‘We need 

you right now, right now,’ ” Beilein 
recalled. “He started getting after 
people a little bit, and practice 
changed.”

From a distance, Simpson is 

reserved — quiet even. In front 
of the media, he contrasts the 
unabashed energy of freshmen 
Jordan Poole and Isaiah Livers, or 
the brashness of Wagner.

But away from the cameras, 

Simpson is the epitome of a vocal 
leader, 
challenging 
teammates 

with 
both 
his 

voice 
and 
play 

throughout 
workouts 
and 

practices.

“I think when 

Derrick left, there 
was a void there, 
and I think he’s 
really 
stepped 

into it,” Robinson 
said. “He’s very 
very vocal, and 

that’s huge for us just because of his 
energy. He’s always talking during 
practice, so I think that’s been big.”

Simpson 
has 
always 
been 

this way. In high school, his dad 
described him as a coach on the 
floor, a coach in the locker room 
and a coach off the floor. Even in 
the summer of 2016, Walton knew 
Simpson had the potential to lead 
the team.

“He was kind of like I was — just 

strong and demonstrative,” Walton 
recalled. “When he’d say stuff, he’d 
mean it.”

***
It was unintentionally fitting.
Simpson, despite consistently 

holding 
the 
conference’s 
best 

point guards below their season 
averages, wasn’t a selection for the 
Big Ten All-Defensive team.

Another day, another look-over.
Simpson, of course, has bigger 

things to worry about. The NCAA 
Tournament starts next Thursday, 
and the Wolverines are trying to 
balance what will be nearly two 
weeks off before since their last 
game.

But if the past is any indication, 

he won’t forget about the snub.

“We were all shocked he didn’t 

get any All-Defensive team love,” 
Washington said. “But because 
(he’s) is such a competitive kid, 
he’ll really use that to motivate 
(himself).”

Such 
has 
been 
the 
case 

throughout Simpson’s career. He 
wasn’t Michigan’s first choice for 
the class of 2016. He barely played 
as a freshman. He wasn’t trusted 
to be the point guard immediately 
after Walton. He was benched in 
the fall.

And yet here he is — the 

Wolverines’ 
definitive 
spark 

plug, leading Michigan its best 
basketball of the year when it 
matters most.

 “Talk about a chip on your 

shoulder,” Beilein said. “He’s got 
the chip now, and that’s really 
been good. … I’m partially guilty of 
putting that chip there, and I want 
to keep it there.

“I’m tough on him, but he always 

responds.”

That’s 
simply 
what 
Zavier 

Simpson does. Just ask Cassius 
Winston.

MARK CALCAGNO

Daily Sports Editor

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Sophomore point guard Zavier Simpson craved his rematch agianst rival Cassius Winston in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, and it showed.

KATELYN MULCAHY/Daily

Simpson has been a large part of Michigan’s transformation into a defensive juggernaut, with teammates referring to him as a “pitbull.”

“I’m tough 
on him, but 
he always 
responds.”

“I’m not the 
type of guy 

who likes to get 

scored on.”

