The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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BASKETBALL RECRUITING "We also love his athleticism and feel for the game. He comes from a winning program, and we know he will be prepared for the challenges ahead." The Wolverines' final 2016 pledge — Lima (Ohio) High's Simpson (5-11, 165, Rivals.com's No. 86 se- nior nationally) — was one of the bigger surprises of the year in the Midwest. U-M had been waiting on Detroit U-D Jesuit point guard Cas- sius Winston, Rivals.com's No. 28 prospect in the country, and seemed in good shape to land him, but when Winston wanted to delay his official visit, Beilein chose to go in a differ- ent direction. Simpson and his family reached out to Michigan late in the summer and were impressed with Beilein's honesty about their standing. A se- cret early September visit on the way back from a Wisconsin official went extremely well, and Simpson pledged a day later on Sept. 9. Lindy's annual is among those who believe Simpson is among the top 20 senior prospects in the nation, rank- ing him No. 19. "Xavier is a tough, competitive point guard who makes the play- ers around him better," Beilein said. "Being the son of a coach, he has a tremendous basketball IQ and will do whatever it takes to win, whether that is scoring, diving for the loose ball or just finding the open man. "He is an elite defender and bal- ances that with his command of the game and leading his team on the floor." Simpson spent two seasons play- ing at Lima Catholic Central before transferring to Lima Senior High af- ter his father, Quincey, was named head coach. He led them to a 22-5 re- cord and a Three Rivers Conference runner-up league finish in his first season with the Spartans, averaging 19.8 points, 8.0 assists and 3.0 steals per game. He helped Lima to the re- gional semifinals in the Division I playoffs and was named the Associ- ated Press Division I Player of the Year as well as first-team All-Ohio. Before his transfer, Simpson helped Pickerington (Ohio) Central shooting guard Ibi Watson, who is rated as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, produced 19.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest during his junior campaign. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM