WHY I LOVE THE FAB FIVE
Tracey Anderson
January 17, 2008
Here’s the deal. I’ve got long blonde hair, usually wear a dress, and rarely leave the house without lip gloss. So, you can guess why most guys have a hard time believing I know anything about sports. Or more specifically, college basketball. Before I go into why I wholeheartedly believe Michigan’s Fab Five is the best college basketball team of all time, I thought I’d tell you why I’m qualified to even make such a statement.
- I played organized basketball from age eight through high school, where I was the starting point guard. (Disclaimer: we weren’t AWESOME but we were decent.)
- I lived with two Division 1 basketball players for three years of college. (Disclaimer: they were female players.)
- March Madness is my second favorite time of year. NFL season is my #1. (Farewell Joe Gibbs, farewell.)
- I’m money from the three-point line.
Okay, so now that I’ve proven myself to the doubters, here’s why I believe the Fab Five from Michigan (circa 1992 and 1993) is the best college basketball team ever.
Let’s start from the beginning… it should be noted that Michigan was already recognized as having a pretty good basketball program. In fact, they won the national championship in 1989, just two years before the dream team arrived on campus. But it was the group of five freshman -- Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Ray Jackson, and Jimmy King -- that made waves across the sport.
This group of players dribbled their way into the national championship game — their freshman year. As USA Today so succinctly put it, “They drew record television audiences, set fashion trends and touched off a licensing and merchandising boom that perhaps nudged all of college athletics along its current marketing-crazed course.” I couldn’t have said it better myself.
The final championship game in 1992 between Michigan and Duke is, to this day, the most-watched college basketball game in history. And the crowds weren’t there to watch the Blue Devils. (Okay, so maybe some were… I must admit, I actually really like Duke.)
In their sophomore season, Michigan’s Fab Five again made it to the National Championships. This time, they were matched up against North Carolina in what was to become one of the most remembered and referenced games in NCAA history.
Everyone remembers Chris Webber calling a timeout when there wasn’t any time left, resulting in a technical foul and a heartbreaking loss. (Personal aside: many people blamed Webber for calling this timeout and costing his team the game. However, if you watch tape from that game, it’s very clear that coaches and players on his bench, which was RIGHT behind him on this play, were yelling and signaling timeout as well. He was merely reacting to what was being yelled in his ear.)
Finally, while most people really loved Webber or Howard, I had a basketball crush on Jalen Rose. I loved his attitude problem. He was such a jerk on the court – and I ate it up. (My getting suspended from my b-ball teams my freshman and sophomore years for attitude problems wasn’t related.)
It’s easily understandable why some people might debate my statement, since the Fab Five never won a championship. But this group of five players changed the face of college basketball. They pulled a fresh new audience to the game and added some much-needed spice to all the Bobby Hurleys and Christian Laettners of the sport. They were fantastic, edgy, and loyal players. It’s too bad the greatness only lasted two years. World domination was a given if they’d all played just one more year.
Go Wolverines!