Zavier Simpson

Zavier Simpson
No. 3 – Michigan Wolverines
Position Point guard
League Big Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (1997-02-11) February 11, 1997
Lima, Ohio
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight 185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High school
College Michigan (2016–present)
Career highlights and awards

Zavier Marquis Simpson (born Xavier Simpson on February 11, 1997) is an American basketball player for the Michigan Wolverines who will play his junior season for the 2018–19 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team. He attended Lima Senior High School where he won the 2016 Ohio Mr. Basketball as a senior. Simpson won 2014 Ohio Division III state championship as a sophomore for Lima Central Catholic High School before transferring to Lima Senior High School the following school year. He was part of the 2017–18 team that reached the Championship Game of the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. Simpson was a member of 2017 and 2018 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament champions during his first two seasons. He had many of his best games against top-10 opponents as a sophomore.

Early life

Simpson was born on February 11, 1997, in Lima, Ohio to Bobbie Carter and Quincey Simpson.[1] Simpson was raised in a socioeconomic situation where just having a father in his life was a blessing.[2] He had served as a ball boy for Lima Senior High School since second or third grade when his father was an assistant coach for the Lima Senior team that he had once played for.[3] In elementary school, Simpson spent a half hour dribbling the basketball every morning and when he got to high school, he worked out for between one and a half and two hours doing basketball drills.[4] On December 15, Simpson broke two-time Ohio Mr. Basketball Greg Simpson's Lima Senior High School single-game scoring record by posting 59 points against Fremont Ross High School. Simpson was a cousin who grew up with his father, Quincy.[5] On February 2, Simpson posted 65 points against Fremont Ross.[6]

Simpson played his freshman and sophomore seasons for Lima Central Catholic High School before transferring to Lima Senior when his father became head coach there before his junior season.[7] Simpson earned the 2014 Ohio Division III state championship as a sophomore and the 2015 Ohio Associated Press Division I Player of the Year as a junior.[8][9][10] Simpson was named 2016 Ohio Mr. Basketball by the Associated Press.[11] Simpson's Lima Senior High School was undefeated until losing in the OHSAA Division I championship game to Westerville South High School, finishing the season 29–1.[12] Simpson also earned the Ohio Boys Basketball Gatorade Player of the Year honor.[13]

On September 9, 2015, Xavier Simpson committed to playing college basketball for Michigan. At the time he was ranked as the number 66 player and number 12 point guard by ESPN, number 55 and number 12 by Scout.com and number 87 player and number 44 guard by Rivals.com, making him the number 69 player and 13 point guard by 247Sports.com.[14][15] Austin Davis, Ibi Watson, Jon Teske and Simpson all signed their National Letters of Intent on November 11, 2015.[8] Michigan recruits Simpson, Watson and Teske were all named to the 2015–16 Associated Press Ohio High School Division I Boys Basketball All-State 1st Team.[16] ESPN's Jeff Borzello named Simpson as one of the top 25 entering freshman in the 2016–17 class on April 6, 2016.[17]

College career

Freshman season

Simpson in 2017

As a freshman, Simpson was part of a 2016–17 Michigan Wolverines team that won the 2017 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.[18][19] The Wolverines reached the sweet sixteen round of the 2017 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.[20][21] After averaging 1.6 points and 8.7 minutes as a freshman, Simpson changed the spelling of his name prior to his sophomore season from Xavier to Zavier.[22]

Sophomore season

Simpson goes between his legs in 2018

As a sophomore for the 2017–18 Wolverines, Simpson posted his career high 16 points in contest against top 5 rated opponents:[23] On January 13, 2018, Michigan won their rivalry game against (#4 AP Poll/#4 Coaches Poll) Michigan State 82–72. Simpson tallied 16 points in Michigan's first road victory against a top-five ranked team since defeating (#3 AP Poll/#3 Coaches Poll) Michigan State on January 25, 2014;[24][25] On January 25, 2018, Michigan lost to (#3 AP Poll/#3 Coaches Poll) Purdue 88–92 despite 16 points from Simpson.[26][27] In two of his other top-5 games, Simpson had 15-point games against both (#5 AP Poll/#7 Coaches Poll) Purdue on January 9, 2018.[28][29] and (#2 AP Poll/#2 Coaches Poll) Michigan State on March 3, 2018.[30][31][32] Although Simpson averaged just 7.3 points per game for the season, in his other games against top-10 opponents he posted double digits: 13 points against (#8 AP Poll/#9 Coaches Poll) Ohio State in Michigan's final home game of the regular season on the February 18, 2018,[33][34] 10 points on March 4, as Michigan defeated (#8 AP Poll/#8 Coaches Poll) Purdue 75–66,[35][36][37] and 10 points in the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game loss to (#2 Coaches Poll/#2 AP Poll) Villanova.[38][39]

The March 4 victory over Purdue gave Michigan its second consecutive Big Ten Tournament championship since the game was the championship game of the 2018 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.[40][41] Simpson averaged 12.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals in 35 minutes per game for Michigan in its four-game tournament run.[42] On March 22, Michigan defeated Texas A&M 99–72 in the regional semifinals of the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Simpson posted a career-high 6 steals as part of a stat line that included 11 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds.[43][44] In the first four games of the tournament, Simpson posted averages of 7.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 steals to help Michigan reach the Final Four.[45] The team lost in the 2018 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship Game to (#2 Coaches Poll/#2 AP Poll) Villanova.[38][39]

Personal life

Simpson has an older brother Isaiah. Simpson's father has two brothers and is not married to Simpson's mother. Quincy and his brothers were raised by a single mother.[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ "3 Zavier Simpson". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  2. ↑ Snyder, Mark (June 18, 2016). "Dad helps Xavier Simpson work his way to Michigan". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Lima Senior point guard Xavier Simpson is 2016 Ohio Mr. Basketball". Cleveland.com. Associated Press. March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Kornacki, Steve (March 23, 2018). "Zavier Simpson's Basketball Journey With His Father, Coach Q". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
  5. ↑ Quinn, Brendan F. (December 16, 2015). "Michigan signee Xavier Simpson pours in 59 points, leaves even his father impressed". MLive.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  6. ↑ Paul, Tony (February 3, 2018). "UM commit Xavier Simpson scores 65 in victory". Detroit News. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  7. ↑ Naveau, Jim (March 16, 2016). "Lima Senior's Simpson named Ohio's Mr. Basketball". LimaOhio.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Michigan Inks Four Recruits During Early Signing Period". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. November 11, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  9. ↑ "2014–15 Associated Press All-Ohio" (PDF). Ohio High School Athletic Association. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  10. ↑ LaFountain, Laura (March 27, 2015). "AP Class B boys basketball All-State team announced". MLive.com. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  11. ↑ Quinn, Brendan F. (March 16, 2016). "Future Wolverine Xavier Simpson named 2016 Ohio Mr. Basketball". MLive.com. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  12. ↑ "Boys basketball: Westerville South beats Lima Senior for Division I title". The Courier. March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  13. ↑ "Ohio Boys Basketball POY: Xavier Simpson". USA Today. March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  14. ↑ Rankin, Reggie (September 9, 2015). "Scout's Take: ESPN 100 PG Xavier Simpson to Michigan". ESPN. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  15. ↑ Quinn, Brendan F. (September 9, 2015). "Top-100 PG Xavier Simpson commits to Michigan, becomes fourth 2016 pledge". MLive.com. Retrieved September 10, 2015.
  16. ↑ "AP releases Division I boys basketball all-state teams". WKYC. March 16, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  17. ↑ Borzello, Jeff (April 6, 2016). "Ranking college basketball's top 25 freshmen for 2016–17". ESPN. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Michigan shocks Wisconsin 71-56 to win Big Ten tournament". ESPN. Associated Press. March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Champions! Michigan Grabs Big Ten Tournament Title". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. March 12, 2017. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Michigan's Magic Ends with One-Point Loss to Ducks". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. March 23, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Michigan get last shot but fall short to Elite 8-bound Oregon". ESPN. Associated Press. March 24, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
  22. ↑ Fox, Austin (September 29, 2017). "Michigan Basketball: Xavier Simpson Is Now "Zavier" Simpson". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  23. ↑ "Zavier Simpson". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Wagner scores 27, Michigan beats No. 4 Michigan State 82-72". ESPN. Associated Press. January 13, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  25. ↑ Wyrot, Tom (January 13, 2018). "Wolverines Grab Rivalry Road Win Over No. 4 Spartans". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
  26. ↑ "No. 3 Purdue holds off Michigan 92-88 for 16th straight win". ESPN. Associated Press. January 25, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  27. ↑ Wyrot, Tom (January 25, 2018). "Wolverines Fall Short of Comeback in Top-25 Matchup at Purdue". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Haas' free throw gives No. 5 Purdue 70-69 win over Michigan". ESPN. Associated Press. January 9, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  29. ↑ Wyrot, Tom (January 9, 2018). "Wolverines Rally, but Fall to No. 5 Boilermakers in Final Seconds". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Michigan ends top-seeded Spartans' 13-game winning streak". ESPN. Associated Press. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  31. ↑ Wyrot, Tom (March 3, 2018). "Wolverines Down Spartans, Advance to B1G Tournament Final". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Postgame Notes: Michigan-Michigan State". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  33. ↑ "No. 22 Michigan tops No. 8 Ohio St 74-62, helps other rival". ESPN. Associated Press. February 18, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  34. ↑ Wyrot, Tom (February 18, 2018). "Wolverines Upset No. 8 Buckeyes in Home Season Finale". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Michigan beats Purdue to win 2nd straight Big Ten Tournament". ESPN. Associated Press. March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  36. ↑ Wyrot, Tom (March 4, 2018). "Back-to-Back: Wagner, Teske Power Michigan to Second Straight B1G Tournament Title". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Postgame Notes: Michigan-Purdue". BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  38. 1 2 "Villanova takes title, 79-62 over Michigan behind DiVincenzo". ESPN. Associated Press. April 3, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  39. 1 2 Wyrot, Tom (April 2, 2018). "Michigan Comes Up Short Against Villanova in National Championship Game". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Michigan beats Purdue to win 2nd straight Big Ten Tournament". ESPN. Associated Press. March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  41. ↑ Wyrot, Tom (March 4, 2018). "Back-to-Back: Wagner, Teske Power Michigan to Second Straight B1G Tournament Title". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  42. ↑ "2018 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament Statistics" (PDF). BigTen.org. CBS Interactive. March 4, 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2018. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  43. ↑ "Streaking Michigan routs Texas A&M 99-72 in West semifinals". ESPN. Associated Press. March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  44. ↑ Wyrot, Tom (March 22, 2018). "Michigan Proves Elite in 27-Point Win over Texas A&M". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  45. ↑ Wyrot, Tom (March 26, 2018). "Two Streaks Collide: Wolverines to Face Ramblers in NCAA Semifinal". MGoBlue.com. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
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