Xavier Simpson Appreciation Thread

Submitted by socalwolverine1 on

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!

MGoBrewMom

March 25th, 2018 at 3:04 AM ^

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.

RobM_24

March 25th, 2018 at 3:22 AM ^

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.

J.

March 25th, 2018 at 4:11 AM ^

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. :)

RobM_24

March 25th, 2018 at 4:41 AM ^

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.

J.

March 25th, 2018 at 5:40 AM ^

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. :)

umchicago

March 25th, 2018 at 4:47 AM ^

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.

The Man Down T…

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

maize-blue

March 25th, 2018 at 6:46 AM ^

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.

Cruzcontrol75

March 25th, 2018 at 9:47 AM ^

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.

MaladjustedStrong

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.