Zavier Simpson's Basketball Journey With His Father, Coach Q
3/23/2018 11:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Features
By Steve Kornacki
LOS ANGELES -- Zavier Simpson, now a sophomore guard on the University of Michigan men's basketball team, used to spend a half-hour every morning dribbling the basketball. Not many kids are willing to take on such a discipline in elementary school, and it would be difficult to find another one who performed that drill on a kitchen floor as he did.
Then he began his freshman season at Lima (Ohio) Catholic Central by rising each morning, long before the sun did, with his father, high school coach Quincey Simpson. A half-hour later, they would arrive at a high school gym for 90 minutes to two hours of basketball drills and workouts.
"I used to wake him up when he was in elementary school and make him dribble in the kitchen," said Quincey. "We got rid of the kitchen table because the house was carpeted except for the kitchen. His mom, she didn't like it, but she bought into it. And him and his older brother, Isaiah, would get up and dribble for 30 minutes. Isaiah was a great role model for him.
"Then we decided to get up at 5 every morning to practice once he got into high school. And there were days when I didn't want to do it. And he would knock on my door and say, 'Dad, let's go.' But I had to do it because I knew he wanted it."
We spoke about Zavier from the seats in Staples Center, while Florida State was beating Gonzaga to set up Saturday's (March 24) Elite Eight matchup with the Wolverines. It was shortly after Zavier put up a "STOP" sign on that very court for Texas A&M on Thursday afternoon.
Zavier scored nine of his 11 points in the first half, when Michigan rolled up a 29-point lead en route to a 99-72 victory. He finished with five assists, four rebounds and six steals -- tying the school record for steals in an NCAA Tournament game set by Derrick Walton Jr. against Notre Dame in 2016. Walton was Zavier's mentor last season and is now a member of the Miami Heat. The school record in any game is seven steals.
The 6-foot sophomore leads Michigan's vaunted defense with fire, runs the offense with unbridled desire, and head coach John Beilein said Simpson's leadership really knows no bounds. He sets the tone in the locker room and spiritually, often leading the team in "reflections" after games.
Desire and devotion have taken Simpson far in a short time.
"His goal going into his freshman year was to be Ohio's Mr. Basketball," said Quincey. "I'll be honest with you. When he told me that, and I never told him this, but I was thinking, 'That's nearly impossible.' And only because there were so many big-time names in his class.
"I was thinking, 'He's a small guy. You ain't going to win Mr. Basketball, but it's a good goal to have.' But after he got co-player of the year in Division I, knew it was possible. I told myself that in his senior year, I was going to put him into a position to score more."
Simpson averaged 27.2 points, 6.1 assists and 3.8 steals as a senior, and led Lima Senior to a 29-1 record, but they lost the state championship game to Westerville South on a last-second shot.
Coach Q, as he's known, said he knew his son had bucked the odds and become something special the summer before Zavier's junior season, when he took his AAU team, King James Shooting Stars, to the national championship at a Super Showcase in Louisville, Kentucky.
"That summer, I broke his shot down," said Quincey. "We started from ground zero, and he had to be willing to buy into it. We spent a lot of hours in the gym before and after school. His release was higher, and when he played that summer, he was lights-out. That's when I knew he was really going to be something."
Simpson won Mr. Basketball as a senior, playing at Lima Senior for Quincey, after transferring there fresh off winning a state championship at Lima Catholic Central as a sophomore. He made the move when his father was named head coach.
"We've been through everything -- good, bad, highs and lows -- but I was on him the whole time," said Quincey. "He bought into the academic part, and gets excellent grades. That gave him a chance to be recruited. But I have never seen a work ethic like his. He's so motivated that everything else is easy."
They have traveled that road less traveled together, father and son, and now Zavier is blossoming for the Wolverines, getting them one win away from the Final Four.
"My dad helped me a lot," said Zavier. "He pushed me to my limits, and is always there to work me out on and off the court. He gives me things to get an edge on the next guy on the court.
"He definitely prepared me for college, and there was nothing that shocked me when I got here. He also prepared me off the court by eating right and trained me mentally. Everything with dad has been all good."
Zavier Simpson and his mother, Bobbie Carter, celebrate after he announces his commitment to the University of Michigan at Lima (Ohio) Senior High in September 2015.
His son's comments were mentioned to the father.
"You didn't come up here saying you were trying to make me cry," said Quincey, chuckling but clearly touched. "But, no, I mean, for me growing up, I didn't have what he had. I didn't have nobody to take me to the gym.
"My mom was a single parent, raised three boys by herself, and did a tremendous job. All three of us are successful. My older brother, Warren, is an inspector in the fire department. Shawn is a teacher. Their last name is Pughsley. We have the same parents, though.
"Regardless of all that, it's a blessing. It's just a blessing to see what Zavier's doing now because unless you are from Lima and know us, you don't know that nothing he had came easy. He was never blessed with nothing. We saw other kids that are naturally athletic, but that wasn't him. So, we had to spend a lot of hours in the gym."
Quincey, the youngest of the three brothers, is a tutorial coordinator and academic advisor in addition to being the head coach at Lima Senior.
He's not married to Zavier's mother, Bobbie Carter, but gives her plenty of credit for the man their son has become.
"She kept him humble and kept him in his Bible," said Quincey. "She kept him religious. When he was in ninth grade and we had Thanksgiving meal, he led the prayer, and I almost cried. You could tell his relationship with God is real. I was amazed. We've always done it together, raising him. He stays with her. He stays with us. It's all family."
When it came down to choosing a basketball program, one of the people Quincey sought was Trey Burke's father, Benji, who gave Beilein and the Wolverines a big thumbs-up. Burke, who led Michigan to the 2013 national championship game, was the other Mr. Basketball from Ohio who chose the Maize and Blue.
Beilein started Simpson for the first time against Illinois on Jan. 6, when he took over for freshman Eli Brooks. He was just too valuable on defense, and his offense has evolved almost on a daily basis. Simpson averages 7.4 points, 3.7 assists and 3.3 rebounds.
"He learned a lot from me and Derrick last year," said senior guard and tri-captain Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman. "He took that knowledge and applied it to this year. What he's learned comes with time, comes with experience. The more you play, the better you get."
Beilein said: "It's really starting to come together for him. He's stubborn regarding some things, and we got him through that. He's embracing being coached."
Beilein is amazed by "how much he cares about his teammates" and his teammates reciprocate those feelings.
"Zavier means so much to the team," said Abdur-Rahkman. "His growth has brought us from not ranked to Top 10 in the country. So, we're just happy that he continues to grow."
Michigan didn't receive a single vote in the Associated Press poll when Simpson began starting the first week of January. The Wolverines finished the season ranked No. 7 and have won 12 consecutive games en route to tying the school record of 31 victories.
"Honestly, Zavier's the secret leader of the pack," said junior tri-captain Moritz Wagner. "He determines the energy of the team, and he's the first guy out there playing defense (out top). Everyone sees him, and we're going to play defense, too.
"Zavier's done an incredible job of feeding me for my shots, and staying positive and doing his job. It's incredible."
Simpson also has connected with Beilein and everyone on the coaching staff. DeAndre Haynes, the assistant specializing in guard development, calls Zavier "my fourth son" and has grown extremely close to him.
"He means a lot to me," Simpson said of Haynes. "He's a great coach, and he's been big in my player development. He relates so well to us."
Zavier has an extra coach in his corner who will be sitting 13 rows above the court at Staples on Saturday. Mom will be there, too.
"We talk a lot of basketball," Zavier said of Quincey. "I don't want to give specific examples, but it's more about things, people and how they're playing, and things I can improve upon."
He said those nuggets of wisdom from Dad remain special. They have gone from dribbling in the kitchen to dribbling on the biggest stage in college basketball, together all the way.
