Howard on Simpson: 'He's Our Tom Brady'
11/12/2019 11:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Zavier Simpson controlled the action from start to finish. He knew where his University of Michigan teammates were on the basketball court at all times, and got them the ball in places where they could score. He also knew when it was his time to do damage, showing equal confidence in his three-point shot and finger-roll drives.
Simpson ran the team in Tuesday night's (Nov. 12) 79-69 win over Creighton -- a 20-win team last season in the highly-competitive Big East -- and afterward Wolverine head coach Juwan Howard had the highest praise for him.
"Zavier knows how to hold people accountable," said Howard. "He knows the right things to say. He's a basketball genius, a high-IQ player. He's like a quarterback out there on the floor.
"He's our Tom Brady."
Game outcomes swing on Simpson's decisions and execution.
"He's going to have the ball in his hands," said Howard, "and is one of the best decision-makers, one of the best point guards in college basketball."
Simpson is among 20 on the watch list for the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year Award, and one of 50 on the watch list for Naismith National Player of the Year.
He was voted to the preseason All-Big Ten team, and was a first team all-conference pick in 2018-19 as well as earning selection on the Big Ten's all-defensive and all-tournament squads. Simpson was Michigan's MVP last season.
I asked Howard where he had seen the most improvement in Simpson in his first season as his coach.
"I've seen him make improvements in shooting and I've also seen him make improvements in his leadership," said Howard. "With the shooting, it's the confidence, and he's worked at it. He was the first one in the gym today, working and getting his shots up.
"He's always working, always like that. There are times when I have to run him out of the gym because he works so much."
Simpson, the son of a basketball coach, Quincey Simpson, has an insatiable desire to squeeze everything he can out of every minute he can be in a basketball setting.
"I just fell in love with being a workaholic," Simpson told MGoBlue.com. "I want to work at my craft and be the best player I can be at all things. I don't want to be too cocky or overly-confident in some areas because I want to improve on all aspects of my game. I want to be there and show my team areas where I can help them.
"My dad made sure growing up that hard work pays off and made sure I was in the gym whether I liked it or didn't. He was definitely a big influence as far as basketball, and my mother (Bobbie Carter), she worked hard as far as keeping food on the table and making sure the bill is paid and things of that matter. So, I just wanted to make sure I'm hooked on working, and I work hard every day."
All those extra shots he is putting up are paying off.
Simpson made 7-of-11 shots from the field against Creighton, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc, and totaled 17 points. He also had nine assists, three rebounds and one blocked shot.
Simpson hit his first trey on a perfect pass from Eli Brooks that allowed him to catch and shoot the ball in rhythm. Then, after faking Bluejays guard Ty-Shon Alexander so effectively that Alexander lost his footing and fell to the court, Simpson used a few dribbles to get completely clear before casting and hitting another three-pointer.
He also had some pretty finger-rolls that went in on well-timed drives to the hoop. Simpson has a sixth sense about knowing the instant the lane is opening for him to do business.
But he was most like Brady, the six-time Super Bowl champion who was a Wolverine 20 years ago, in knowing where his teammates were and getting them the ball at the most opportune times.
Five of his assists went to senior classmate Jon Teske, who had three dunks (including one on an alley-oop pass), a layup and a short open jump shot go down after getting the ball from Simpson.
"It's just how we play," said Teske, who had 17 points for the second consecutive game. "I play off of him and he plays off of me. I know where he's going to be. He knows where I'm going to be.
"We have that great chemistry as seniors. We've been here four years together now, and I just know where he's going to be at all times. He's a special point guard, and you could see that tonight."
Howard said of his senior duo: "They are competitors and the veterans of this group. They've been a part of big games, they're battle-tested, played Final Four games against Villanova, played Big Ten championship games and won. This is nothing new to them, and their leadership and their inspiring play just feeds the team.
"They have a comfort level from playing together for three years and now going on their fourth year. And it's their third year together with (junior) Isaiah (Livers). So, they trust one another. I trust them. The staff trusts them."
It's rare that two quality basketball players spend senior seasons together, but that's what Simpson and Teske are beginning to experience.
"It's very special," said Simpson. "I love playing with Jon. He's one of the players that I can play with. He reads the game well, and I can just feel for him. It's kind of like a point center. Everybody knows the point guard is kind of like the leader of the team, and everyone follows his leadership. But Jon is a guy that I can follow him because he makes the right plays and he knows what he's doing."
They came together from Ohio -- Teske from Medina and Simpson from Lima -- and had much to improve upon before playing as they do now. Simpson spent his freshman year under the wing of dynamic point guard Derrick Walton Jr. on a surprise Big Ten Tournament championship team.
This has been his team to lead for going on three seasons now, and he's up to seventh on Michigan's career assists list with 446. Simpson -- if he can get at least 244 assists as he did last season -- will pass Travis Conlan, Daniel Walton, Antoine "The Judge" Joubert, 1989 national champion Rumeal Robinson and his mentor, Walton, Jr., to move into second place.
By upping his 6.6-assist average from last season and making a long tournament run, Simpson might even challenge Gary Grant's school record 731 assists, accumulated, 1985-88.
Three of Simpson's assists led to three-point makes, including one by new starting guard Adrien Nunez and two by forward Livers.
"Zavier told me at the beginning of the game: 'You've got to get in that rhythm and you've got to get going,'" said Livers, who had a career-high and team-high 22 points. "He said he'd look for me if I looked for him, and that's what we try to do -- play that brotherhood ball, making small plays for one another. And it just got easier as it went on."
Simpson was not his typical self in the opening-game win over Appalachian State, finishing with six points, six assists and six turnovers. He had eight rebounds and three steals, but everything else was below Simpson's expected standards.
"Tonight is what you're going to see from Zavier all season," said Livers. "When he's playing with swagger and he can get to the basket, and his shot is falling, and he's making those passes. I don't think you can name a better point guard in college basketball than Zavier, when Zavier's playing Zavier Basketball."
Howard loves having him on the court even though Brooks and David DeJulius are improving in their abilities to run the team.
"Yes, when your best player does go out, do I happen to miss a heartbeat?" asked Howard. "Or does my heart skip a beat? Yes, it does. He makes my job a lot easier."
From left: Teske, Simpson and Livers
Simpson is like a coach on the court.
Teske, when asked what Simpson did best against Creighton, said, "Everything. But I guess what he did best was just leading the team, feeding the rim, getting us those assists, rebounding, being aggressive, playing great defense as the great defensive player that he is. But mostly it comes down to just leading the team."
That's the Tom Brady effect.
"If he sees something wrong," said Teske, "Zavier's going to tell you. He has a great IQ for the game, and he uses that to his advantage because he knows where people are going to be, where he has to be and putting you in the right spot to get you there."
Simpson is a quarterback in shorts.
