Storyline: Michigan’s Fab Five was an alternative to our current era of one-and-done, an era that has slowly diminished the landscape of NCAA Men’s Basketball.
Courtesy: realclearsports.com
As a follow up to my previous article about one-and-done, I’ll dedicate this article to the true pioneers of “Fabulous Freshman.” I’m writing it to show that there’s an alternative to our era of one-and-done, an era that has slowly diminished the landscape of NCAA Men’s Basketball.
This article is about Michigan’s Fab Five!
During a time when starting five freshmen was unheard of and almost downright blasphemous, Steve Fisher went against the grain and bucked tradition by tinkering with his veteran lineup.
Juwan Howard, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson, took the nation by storm.
Chris Webber (photo, Pinterest
There was Chris Webber, a 6’10”, 260 lb. center with exceptional speed, ferocious rebounding ability, outstanding ball handling skills, toughness, and hockey gloves for hands. He was Karl Malone with handles.
Jalen Rose was a 6’8″ lefty point forward. His ball handling, herky-jerky style of play, and tenacious heart made opposing guards cringe at the thought of having to defend him.
Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson were all versatile and could play multiple positions.
Coach Fisher took a page out of the late, great Dean Smith’s play book. He convinced a group of talented and heralded recruits to swallow their pride, sacrifice shots, set aside their egos, and unite for one common goal; a national championship!
Although Coach Smith never started an all-freshman lineup, he was able to get Michael Jordan, Sam Perkins, James Worthy, Kenny Smith, and Buzz Peterson to mesh together as a team. We’ve all heard the saying that Dean Smith was the only guy who could hold Jordan under 20 points.
Steve Fisher, 1997 (photo, MLive)
The Fab Five didn’t win a national title that first year but they all returned to school for another shot at the crown as sophomores. They turned their noses and backsides to all the naysayers. Everyone who despised their bald heads, extra baggy shorts, black socks, black Nike shoes, and on court bravado slowly became fans of the talented, young Wolverines.
The Fab Five put the entire country on notice. None of those guys thought they were bigger than the team. They may have had egos, but egos were always put aside for the sake of TEAM success!
What about today? I laugh when I hear about which school has the best recruiting class. I wonder where some of these journalists, commentators, studio analysts, and coaches were for the last 20 years.
I’m rarely impressed with recruiting classes nowadays. The last time a recruiting class moved me was John Calipari’s 2010 class with John Wall, Demarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe, and Daniel Orton. All were first round draft picks and all are max contract players with the exception of Orton.
But the last time there was a splash with an incoming class was Michigan’s Fab Five. Often referred to as the greatest recruiting class ever, they set the standard for excellence in college basketball. They stood for pride, rebellion, brotherhood, and most of all, WINNING!
They understood that the NBA would be waiting.
They understood that their talent would get them there.
They understood how important it was for them to show that not all inner-city kids chase the almighty dollar.
Few NCAA players make the NBA (photo, SB Nation)
In the current climate of recruiting, though, some coaches preach how they can prepare these kids for the NBA … instead of selling them on the idea of getting an education.
They don’t tell them that only 12% of NCAA players actually make it to the NBA.
They don’t tell them that they have a better chance at earning a degree than going pro.
I get it. Who wants to dump on someone’s dreams?
I just think these coaches have a responsibility to be honest. Take the selfishness out of the equation and maybe we will see another crop of kids–like The Fab 5–who want to leave their mark on the college game.
For now, I’ll settle for kids committing to something other than money.
