ANN ARBOR — In what should be no surprise to anyone who follows the Michigan basketball program, senior point guard Zavier Simpson and senior center Jon Teske have been named team captains for the 2019-20 season.

How they earned their titles, however, was a bit unconventional in that the head coach chose them himself.

Head coach Juwan Howard said Friday he was laying down one night when it hit him.

"I thought about team captains and said, you know, a lot of players ... you talk about who is best suited to become captain, who earned it. One night was thinkng and said, 'I know who the captains are.' Plain and simple. It was staring all of us in the face ... Jon Teske and Zavier Simpson. Not just because they’re seniors, just that X is the ultimate leader there is. I haven't seen a better leader than Zavier Simpson. He holds his teammates accountable, a guy who doesn’t just talk the talk, but that cliche that he walks the walk. That’s what he does. It's that simple. He's one of the hardest working guys on the team, a smart player."

Howard called him his "Tom Brady," not the first time he referenced the former U-M signal caller and current New England standout in comparing Simpson's leadership ability.

"He makes my job a lot easier as a coach. I can lay my head down at night knowing I've got a guy like X in the trenches," he said.

Teske, meanwhile, is a different personality, but he's also developed into a leader in his own right.

"He's won a lot of games like X, is proven …. both will in my opinion have a chance to play at the next level in the NBA if they want to. Jon is an elite level center, strong defender, quiet assassin, I would say, leads by example.

"All leaders are not vocal leaders. It doesn't mean he's not a leader … just leads in a different way."

The two Ohioans play off each other extremely well, Howard said.

"I think with Jon and X, there's great balance with the two," he said. "I may be able to get a few words out of Jon. You talk to X for a while, you get a lot of words out of him.

"I told the guys [one day], that captain is chosen. I’m chosing it, Jon and X. That simple. Does anyone have any input? Feel free. Is anyone against it?"

The room was quiet, and Howard moved on with his two captains.

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