Michigan Wolverines Basketball: Remorseful Simpson Leads A Win
Michigan survived a game at Nebraska without senior captain and point guard Zavier Simpson, who was serving a one-game suspension for a violation of team rules. The Wolverines likely wouldn't have beaten Rutgers at Madison Square Garden Saturday without him.
Simpson was back, though, and was big in U-M's victory. He met with his teammates after his suspension — "that's what captains do, right?" he said — and asked their forgiveness.
“It was pretty disappointing,” he said after leading Michigan to a 69-63 win with nine points, 10 assists and four rebounds. “I just cheered my teammates on ... called them at halftime; texted Isaiah [Livers] during the game, giving my thoughts. I’m grateful they got the win [at Nebraska]."
He refused to talk about the incident that led to his suspension. Head coach Juwan Howard met with Athletic Director Warde Manuel Friday before reinstating him, which Simpson understood.
"We're going to keep that inside the team if that's okay with you guys," he said. ... "It's something in the past. We're moving forward, trying to win games.
"Warde is the athletic director, so obviously if anyone on any sport gets suspended, of course he's going to be involved and have some type of say. That's his job to know what's going on."
Rutgers' student section chanted "DUI" and chirped at Simpson and his teammates in the pregame, but Simpson said he didn't pay attention to it. He did his talking on the court, helping lead the team to a huge win.
“Rutgers kind of packs it in [defensively],” Simpson said. “They’re very active on the ball. Off the ball, they’re scratching and digging. There are going to be games I’ll have to score. [Other] games I’ll have to go to my playmaking. I’m really comfortable at doing both. Guys got open shots today.”
And he was one of the big reasons why. He was happy to be back, determined not to make the same mistake again.
"At the end of the day, you learn from your lessons," he said. "But you’ve got to continue to move forward. It’s not about what happens; it’s about how you react.”
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