In football, there are quarterback controversies that aren’t really quarterback controversies, no matter how much coaches might spin it as such to get the most out of their No. 1 guy.
Then there are those like the Chad Henne vs. Matt Gutierrez battle in 2004, when then- head coach Lloyd Carr was actually believable in saying he had a hard time deciding which guy would start the first game against Miami (Ohio).
Michigan basketball coach John Beilein is in scenario No. 2 when it comes to point guard play this fall, having actually used the words “quarterback controversy” — albeit jokingly — in describing the situation.
“It’s all three [in the mix to start],” he insisted. “We have a scrimmage coming up Sunday. We have no idea who is going to start. It could be any one of those three. I expect that to be revolving a little bit, and hopefully somebody wins that down the line.
“We might have a three-man quarterback controversy.”
It was created, in part, by the addition of Ohio U. grad transfer Jaaron Simmons, who came to Michigan intent on starting and leading U-M into the NCAA Tournament. He’s brought out the best in sophomore Zavier Simpson, perhaps the most improved player on the team in the early going this fall.
Beilein insisted he had confidence in both Simpson and Brooks, but he wasn’t willing to go in to a season without having someone at the point who had logged a lot of minutes at the position.
“Flat out inexperience, really,” he said. “We had Zavier last year playing five or six minutes a game, Eli coming in as a freshman. If there was an experienced guy we felt was a Michigan fit with a lot of experience, we felt we’d just better be sure.
“Even before D.J. [Wilson] left and went pro, that decision was made. We said, ‘we’ve got a pretty good frontline coming back here. Let’s make sure we have that quarterback, that guy, and let the cream rise to the top.’ They work and are really competing.”
All three played very well in this week’s intra-squad scrimmage, arguably the three best players in the 20-minute event. Brooks took three shots and made them all, including a floater at the shot clock buzzer and a lefty finish over lengthy wing Charles Matthews with the clock winding down.
He’s been a solid finisher throughout the first 16 practices, Beilein said.
“He’s been pretty good at it,” he said. “His percentages for a guard, I think he’s shooting 50 percent from two, really good for a guard, and his threes … high percentages both spots. He’s shown a unique ability to catch on really quickly to many things
“It’s not like they’ve learned everything they’re going to learn by now. Once they can add and subtract, now they’re going to have to counter and make good decisions with this evolving game. Then they flat line a little bit, so we hope he doesn’t flat line.”
He also nailed his only triple, a no-doubter, in the scrimmage.
Shooting has been Simpson’s Achilles heel, but he’s improving. Like Simmons, he also had three or four nice drives and finishes in the scrimmage
“He’s doing a lot better, has shot the ball really well,” Beilein said. “He’s really helped us defensively … offensively, there were still some things that, like most freshmen, were evolving. He’s done a much better job with that stuff.
“He’s a high energy guy, and his catapult numbers are best on the team as far as intensity in practice. His skill level improved a great deal, and he’s a great kid to coach.”
Simmons, meanwhile, is learning some of the different defensive principles in addition to picking up the offense.
“The MAC is a pretty strong league, but the length and size of people is something he’s adjusting to a little, people in the gaps, the whole thing,” Beilein said. “It might be one or two inches … but we’ll just keep working on it every day, and he’s right in the hunt right now.
“But none of the guards came in and said, ‘okay — I’m the guy and just won the job,’ maybe because they are playing so hard against each other. There is a war going on out there every day, and it’s really good.”
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