Xavier Simpson Appreciation Thread
It's so cool watching a kid with a completely different skillset than his predecessor at point, Walton. The kid is proving to be an unstoppable force for us on both ends of the court!
Simply one of the greatest defenders I’ve ever seen.
9 steals in the last two games. That's a season's worth for some guys.
For MOST guys.
Any relation to Zavier Simpson?
Twin brother. 2019 recruit.
X and Z in ur base and ur shirt
Much better as Zavier imagine our quarterback play with Landon Peters.
I thought we were getting Hea Patterson?
March 25th, 2018 at 10:46 AM ^
Gotta imagine he got picked on in high school
March 25th, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^
Pea Shatterson is an All-American quality middle linebacker name.
if only we could get them out on the court at the same time----no one would ever score on us
You need to get your head "Z-Rayed"
Well we already appreciated Z Simpson. Xavier Simpson is a seldom used backup point guard.
I appreciate him standing with my kid to get a pic when he came up to see his mom after the net cutting and awards! Huge deal for my daughter! Super special night and that was the cherry on top.
It's fun to figure out who someone is just from a post on here. Great first game for your daughter!!!
Z is an X factor
Guys i cant sleep
March 25th, 2018 at 10:32 AM ^
And get out of bed
That is sick.
March 25th, 2018 at 11:28 AM ^
Look like they were going in slow motion there. That kid can fly when he's not being a roadblock on defense
Did he ever explain the change from X to Z? I thought I saw something earlier in the season where he just said it was personal reasons (as if it was something he didn't want to share at the time). My guess was that it's because he wanted it pronounced "Zavier" and people kept pronouncing it "Ex-Zavier". Total guess though. And if he wants it kept private forever, that's cool too. He's been a revelation either way.
I wonder if he could have a future in the NBA... Pass first PGs (like Rubio) have succeeded before. Z doesn't turn the ball over, is a relentless defender and can get to the rim pretty shiftily. I gotta imagine some teams could use that.
Considering that Beilein calls him "X," I've gone back to that spelling. I got the idea that X didn't want to change it at all, but the NCAA was requiring that rosters match the birth certificate, and that's how it's spelled there.
If Spike were on this team, he'd be listed as Michael Albrecht, but I'm pretty sure everybody would keep calling him Spike. :)
That's interesting. Then I guess the question is why did his parents name him Zavier if they wanted it spelled Xavier? Or did he make the change? This is turning into a real Russian nesting doll. Also, Rhode Island has a player on their official roster named Fatts Russell. Not saying you're right or wrong, but I remembered that nickname from their tournament game so I checked their roster.
I can't find a source now for the alleged NCAA rule. I feel like I may have heard that explanation on WTKA? I definitely have heard Beilein call him "X," though.
Birth certificates are often filled out by stressed-out new parents operating on very little sleep (and sometimes the after-effects of strong medication) :-). It wouldn't surprise me at all if (a) both parents wanted Xavier but spelled it wrong; (b) the parents disagreed on the spelling; (c) the parents wanted Zavier originally but some family member called him Xavier and it stuck; etc.
You're right about Fatts, though. So either the NCAA rule isn't a real rule, Michigan is following it more closely than URI, or Fatts got his name changed legally. :)
Of course Michigan is following it more closely.
X and Z are also right next to each other on the keyboard, could've been a fat finger by either parent or nurse who entered it.
GAH!! He's a sophomore in the middle of an important tournament. Can we lay off the NBA talk until the win is completed?
Sheesh!!
(Besides, he needs more time to work on his FT shooting...)
I chuckled when Duncan clearly called him "X"avier during his postgame interview
March 25th, 2018 at 10:42 AM ^
That is exactly the reason I heard from Matt Shepherd at the beginning of the season.
X is for ...
his improvement is the main reason we are in the final 4. before the season, i would have benn happy with 10-8 in the Big and maybe one win in the tourny. he is the main difference.
March 25th, 2018 at 11:34 AM ^
To our expectations coming in, this is a dream season! I don't think anybody picked them to do what they are doing. This was supposed to be a "get through the season and learn until the real talent comes next year" season. We kept hearing about how 2018-2019 was going to be a great season because of all the impact players coming in. We certainly overlooked this year's impact players like Simpson
He'd be a complete player if he could shoot FT's better. Your main ball handler should not be a liability in crunch time. Hopefully JB can figure something out down the road.
Factor! So elated for this team! Hail, Hail ...
https://twitter.com/CBSSports/status/977768926950993920?s=09
Just in case people are only seeing the link rather than the tweet as I am on my laptop (I assume this was posted from mobile):
This is what Final Four elation looks like. pic.twitter.com/okEZQWekw6
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 25, 2018
Did last year. A thing of beauty from a beautiful young man
Dude is a force
clap clap DEFENSE clap clap
Ace should be posting this: Wave a Maverick Wand
Thanks to Z!!
He has really fast hands! He’s pretty incredible that way!
Performance by UofD Jesuit’s, Cassius Winston at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix and hoped that Beilein could land him. Feeling disappointed that he commited to Izzo I hoped that we could match that commitment at PG. here we are realizing that coach B got the better floor general. More complete in his game- decision making, ball handling, finishing at the rim, DEFENSE. All aspects favor Z over that other dude that hasn’t made it past the opening weekend yet.
March 25th, 2018 at 11:13 AM ^
Fantastic performance, and I can't, won't forget that walk thing against Purdue.
I'd throw in some major appreciation for Charles Matthews as well.