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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — There’s lots of questions facing Michigan basketball with a game against Rutgers at Madison Square Garden coming up on Saturday afternoon.
Will Zavier Simpson’s suspension be lifted? Could Isaiah Livers return from the injury sustained a week ago?
At his press conference previewing the matchup, head coach Juwan Howard spoke about all of it, with the 4:30PM EST Saturday matchup forthcoming.
Watch the video or read the transcript below.
(Ed. note: There were some new equipment malfunctions that caused the gimbal to drop multiple times during the video)
Update on Zavier Simpson and Isaiah Livers
“You hear something, you tell me. We’re still evaluating with X. And with Isaiah, still evaluating his injury. Not sure what’s gonna happen with tomorrow.”
Same injury for Isaiah?
“I’m not a doctor. I don’t get paid for it. I’m a former basketball player. What I studied here at University of Michigan, I did not study any physics or any deal with the medical. So all this stuff is new stuff with me. Fortunately enough, I had a great, healthy career. I’m really dumbfounded when it comes to injuries. I’m just learning all of this.”
Rutgers
“Rutgers is a team that plays extremely hard. Super athletic. They do a really good job of hitting the offensive glass. It’s one of the really big strengths of theirs. They’re very good on the ball. Driving the ball. Really good players that can create their own shot. Big Ten is tough, top to bottom, and I knew this coming in. I expect it to be a really good game tomorrow and a super competive game, too.”
Is Zavier traveling?
“We haven’t decided yet.”
Steps he needs to take
“He’s doing the sort of steps needed asked by myself as well as the coaching staff, university as well as his teammates.”
Has he practiced?
“He practiced yesterday, yes.”
Is it something he needs to do or still an evaluation
“X is pretty much doing whatever it is he needs to do. Great kid. Amazing character. Just violated team rules. So, we’ll keep evaluating day-by-day.”
Giving up a home game to play at Madison Square Garden
“No, I actually – I think it’s great, though. To have a game at Madison Square Garden – the Mecca, some would say, of basketball. A very historic arena. Kids getting a chance, some who haven’t played there yet, getting a chance to see what Madison Square Garden looks like, and what it looks like in that type of environment. I think it’s great for college basketball.”
“We don’t make excuses here. They’re a great fanbase in New York. A lot of Michigan alums gonna be at the game. It’s gonna be an exciting environment.”
DeJulius running the offense
“Dave, Eli – they both did a great job.”
“We played well vs. Nebraska. There’s always areas where you can clean up. 17 turnovers – I would like to see us really do a better job of taking care of the basketball. I would also like to see us do a better job of making our open shots. In practice, that’s what we practice. We practice areas of what we can clean up offensively, but we can of course make it simple. Or we could make simple plays instead of home run plays. We go back and watch on film how we can show areas of improvement. Our practice has been good leading up to tomorrow.”
Zavier’s handling of suspension
“He’s been very respectful and matured through the process. Extremely patient. Knows that there are team rules that you’ve gotta abide by and he understands that clearly. That’s why I say he’s matured handling the situation, because yes, he’s extremely disappointed by his actions. He owns his actions and that’s the beauty part of it, he takes ownership of it. At the end of the day, I feel like we’ll all learn from this process.”
When will a decision be made?
“Still evaluating the situation.”
How Brandon Johns has improved
“Brandon, I’ve said it before, game-by-game, every practice that we’ve had thus far, he’s been bought in. Asking questions of where he can get better at. Help serve the team. I see a lot of growth in Brandon. It’s great to have a guy like Brandon on your team that’s all about doing it the right way, trying to make winning plays for the team.”
Is it a better shooting team than shown?
“Yeah, very confident in our group. We will make shots. But it’s more than just making shots. It’s all facets of the game where we can move the needle. Defensively – we have to do a better job defensively. We can improve in that area. We can improve making free throws. We can improve making open shots. But trust me: there’s no one in that locker room that’s more frustrated not seeing the ball go in than those players. They work at it. They come in on off days. I trust that the ball will fall. It’s not just about seeing the ball go in, because I know it’s one of the things that everyone likes to point at when your team from the three-point line only shoots 29% or games where you shot 57% from the free throw line or 62%. They work hard, man. They want to see the ball go in just like anyone else. It’s more disappointing to them. But I share with them in that I have confidence in our team and I have confidence in them. So, keep taking open shots!”
Has message changed with Franz about his shot selection?
“Nope. Do you like his shot? I love his shots!”