The Wolverine

November 2019

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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38 THE WOLVERINE NOVEMBER 2019 2019-20 BASKETBALL PREVIEW BY JOHN BORTON W hen it comes to leadership on Juwan Howard's first assemblage of Wolverines, X marks the spot. That would be senior point guard Zavier Simpson, known as "X" to his teammates and even his new coaches. Simpson stands as the unquestioned leader of the Wolverines, and the newcomers didn't take long to dis- cover it. "I wish we could have Zavier lon- ger than one year," head coach Juwan Howard said. "The kid is an excellent leader. He's a great competitor. He's a winner. "In practice, he wants to win every drill. In shooting, he wants to win ev- ery drill. Those are the types of guys you want to be in the trenches with. He's a coach's dream." Simpson didn't anticipate going through a major coaching change in his last year in the program. Like his teammates, the senior faced a decision when John Beilein left the program for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. He could have taken a wait-and-see approach on the new head coach. He could have sat back and compared, skeptically questioning what Howard and his staff brought to Crisler Center. That's not the route he chose. And when Simpson decides on a path, oth- ers tend to follow. "I think the relationship with him and Juwan is extraordinary," associ- ate head coach Phil Martelli offered. "None of these guys tiptoed in and said, 'Let me see if I can put one foot in and one foot out.' He responded and gravitated to Juwan." Simpson did so immediately, and with a purpose. He's soaked up the success of his years at Michigan. He doesn't want it to end, certainly in his senior season, so he made the decision to commit all over again. "I told him when I first talked to him that I was all in," Simpson as- sured. "'Whatever you say, I'm going to do.'" That's what a new coach wants to hear, especially from someone hold- ing so much sway over the attitude of the team. From the start, Howard knew his first crew wouldn't be dif- ficult to bring on board. "He's a reflection of the staff," How- ard said. "If he ever decides that he wants to get into coaching, he would be a great coach." Certainly, his transition attitude isn't all traceable to Simpson's very intentional calculation to fall in line. A significant portion of it, Martelli in- dicated, goes back to the coaches that preceded the new staff, one of whom — assistant Saddi Washington — re- mains on this one. "I have the utmost respect for Saddi and John Beilein, because these young guys that they have [recruited] are so respectful," Martelli explained. "I've just been blown away. "There's no entitlement. There's no sideways look, saying, 'You don't know what we do here.' There's none of that. It's very impressive." MORE THAN A TOUGH GUY Simpson backs down from noth- ing and no one. That list includes the challenge of maintaining a high level of success despite 55.7 percent of the team's scoring from last year leaving for the NBA. Not only does he drive himself — Howard had to suggest that Simp- son curtail his self-imposed three-a- day workouts this past summer — he pushes others. He gets on them, chal- lenges them, and isn't afraid to make his commentary blunt and to the point. Washington and the coaches who are still getting to know him readily acknowledge that fact. At the same time, they point out he's more than just a hard-edged jackhammer. "X has long been the heartbeat of the team," Washington said. "I don't think anybody would argue that — pretty much since his sophomore year. He's stepped into that role. He has done a phenomenal job of not just leading, but connecting with our players, both on and off the floor. "They trust him. He's a hard leader. He gets on peoples' cases. But he's also the first one to encourage guys, pick guys up. He'll even get THE X-MAN Senior Guard Zavier Simpson Leads Michigan Through The Coaching Transition

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