The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1094509
12 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2019 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS THE ATHLETIC TABS ZAVIER SIMPSON TO ITS ALL-GLUE TEAM CBS Sports college basketball analyst and TheAth- letic.com writer Seth Davis named Michigan junior guard Zavier Simpson to his 20th annual All-Glue Team March 11. Davis featured Simpson and Washington senior guard Matisse Thybulle as co-captains of the club and the headliners for the article, comparing how each of them once considered transferring from their respec- tive programs, but stuck it out and eventually found success. "In the spring of 2017, Zavier Simpson came face to face with an unpleasant truth," Davis wrote. "In the wake of an unproductive freshman season during which he played just 8.6 minutes per game, his coach at Michigan, John Beilein, called Simpson into his office and informed him that he was going to bring in a grad- uate transfer to compete for minutes at point guard. "In many cases, a conversation such as that would result in the player transferring. Looking back on that difficult day, Simpson admits that the idea of leaving crossed his mind. But he had always prided himself on having a competitive mindset, and despite his short- comings he still had faith in his ability. "[Thybulle and Simpson both average 9.3 points per game as of March 11], which ranks fourth and fifth on their teams, respectively. Yet, they are arguably the big- gest reasons why their teams have had such successful seasons." In addition, Simpson has also averaged 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game (as of March 17), and earned a spot on the league's All-Defensive Team, in addition to being named consensus second-team All- Big Ten. THREE WOLVERINES SELECTED IN MAJOR LEAGUE LACROSSE DRAFT On March 9, three Wolverines heard their names called in the Major League Lacrosse (MLL) Draft — de- fender Nick DeCaprio (21st overall), midfielder Brent Noseworthy (30th) and midfielder Decker Curran (56th), with the former two going to the Boston Can- nons and the latter landing with the New York Lizards. The selection of DeCaprio — whose 10 caused turn- overs lead U-M (as of March 17) — was actually the highest a Wolverine player had ever been chosen in the MLL Draft, which began in 2001. Noseworthy, meanwhile, became the school's all- time leading scorer in a 16-11 win over St. John's March 2, when he set a new record by posting his 94th career goal. He is also the program's leader for points in a season with 48 (set in 2018), and as of March 17 ranks fifth on the team with 10 goals so far this year. Finally, Curran's 57 career goals rank among the top five in program history, and his nine so far in 2019 (as of March 17) are the sixth most on the club. Chase Young (35th overall in 2018), Mikie Schlosser (54th in 2017) and Kyle Jackson (57th in 2016) had pre- viously been the only three Wolverines ever drafted into the league before, while Ian King (round three) was chosen by the Charlotte Hounds in the third round of the 2017 MLL Supplemental Draft. ZAVIER SIMPSON AND IGNAS BRAZDEIKIS NAMED TO BIG TEN'S ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM Junior point guard Zavier Simpson and freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis each played key roles in leading Michigan to an appearance in the Big Ten Tournament title game March 17. As a result, the duo were both named to the league's All-Tournament Team (along with MSU junior guard Cassius Winston, Ne- braska fifth-year senior guard James Palmer and Min- nesota senior forward Jordan Murphy). The heroics began for both players in the 74-53 quar- terfinal blowout of Iowa, when Simpson recorded a double-double (10 points and 11 assists) and Brazdeikis led the club in both scoring (15 points) and minutes played (33). The script was much of the same the following day in a 76-49 destruction of Minnesota in the semifinals, when Simpson registered 15 points (including 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc) and nine assists, while Brazdeikis poured in 13 points (on efficient 6-of-9 shooting) and grabbed five boards. However, the junior's scoring numbers took a dip in the 65-60 championship loss to MSU (just six points, though he did dish out 10 assists), while the freshman led the club with 19 points, including a 4-of-8 showing from behind the arc. — Austin Fox MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK Simpson was named a co-captain of college basketball analyst Seth Davis' 20th annual All-Glue Team. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL