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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Aside from noting that he has practiced with the team, Michigan head coach Juwan Howard provided little in the way of suspended point guard Zavier Simpson’s status with Rutgers on deck on Saturday.
On Friday, Howard noted that Simpson is doing what he needs to do to make his way back, but said the decision as to whether or not the senior captain will travel with the team or not to New York City for the next game.
But, regardless, he’s proud of the steps he’s making, after being asked to do multiple things in penance by myriad groups within the program.
“He’s doing the sort of steps needed asked by myself as well as the coaching staff, university as well as his teammates,” Howard said. “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.”
So, how did Simpson react upon hearing of his suspension?
Much like a senior captain would, Howard says, noting that he’s better off the court than he would have been otherwise, given how he’s handled the situation.
“He’s been very respectful and matured through the process,” Howard said. “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.”
While that’s good to hear from the head coach, hearing it from his peers is even better.
Sophomore point guard David DeJulius has often mentioned that Simpson has been a mentor to him, and he delved into how his team captain has handled his suspension with his teammates.
“He talked to us, apologized and everything,” DeJulius said. “We told him we love him. We’re gonna hold it down until whenever he get back.”
Of course, Simpson couldn’t stay away entirely from his team.
This past game against Nebraska was the first he’s missed since joining the maize and blue four years ago, as he’s played in every eligible game until Tuesday’s foray.
Naturally, it was a hard moment for him. But DeJulius shed some light on how Simpson continued to showcase his leadership and stay involved, even from afar.
“At first, of course he was down,” DeJulius said. “He’s a senior. We all feel for him. We all make mistakes. He’s been such a leader. We FaceTimed him at halftime (against Nebraska). He talked to us about it. We got back at two in the morning, and he greeted us at the door at the facility. He’s been a leader off the court. I’m ready for him to get back, and I’m sure the coaches and the rest of the players as well.”
Michigan and Rutgers are set to tip-off from Madison Square Garden on Saturday at 4:30PM EST, with or without Simpson leading the charge./