College

The Day That Was

CHN — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:55:31 -0400

by Cub Buenning
Our fair college basketball season has finally reached its conclusion with last night’s 89-72 victory by North Carolina over an overmatched Michigan State Spartan team. The Tarheels entered the season as the favorite, spent much of the season near the top of the nation’s pecking order (those silly polls), and finished by playing a beautiful last two months of the season. Impressive, late-season double-digit wins over the likes of Oklahoma, Gonzaga, Villanova, Duke (twice) and Michigan State bookended a great season for a team that was decimated with injuries but still managed to win the ACC regular season and procure a No. 1-seed in the Tournament.
As has become the norm with this team, Carolina won the national title on the “heels” of a full-team effort. Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough were great during their six-game jaunt to the title, but nothing would have been ultimately achieved if not for the supporting cast that surrounds Head Coach Roy Williams’ last two ACC Players of the Year.
In a sport (and event) where guard-play is often “pubbed” as the most important variable for ultimate success, it was Carolina’s ability to dominate the paint early on that proved to be the difference. Against an opponent like MSU, that will usually dictate play inside/on the backboards, the Tarheels not only drove from the perimeter with relative ease, but were able to pound the post and crash the offensive glass (Deon Thompson, especially) on their way to a lead that promptly swelled to 20 points only 10 minutes into the contest. Michigan State was unable to evoke the ghosts of 20 years ago as Kalin Lucas, Goran Suton and the rest of Tom Izzo’s crew continually settled for perimeter jumpers early in the shot-clock, rendering themselves a shell of the team that had shocked the basketball community by being in the final game in the first place.
From there, Wayne Ellington took over, finishing the half with 17 points and almost single-handedly squelching a late first-half Spartan run, keeping the Carolina advantage at a robust 21 going into intermission; a lead that would not be relinquished nor compromised.
Simply put, the Spartans were outclassed from the opening tip and assumed a fate similar to that endured by UNC’s previous five opponents.
Hats off to the North Carolina Tarheels, the 2009 National Champions!
The day in college basketball, however, was not solely focused on the national title game that went down in Detroit. Around the country, two major programs filled vacancies with young up-and-coming stars in the coaching ranks. For starters, now ex-Xavier boss Sean Miller finally accepted the seemingly ideal job at Arizona after other suitors (including himself just the day before) had turned down the opportunity. For a program that can boast an awesome fan base, a great arena, a national championship history, and access to the top players from Los Angeles, the west and the south, the Wildcat’s athletic department sure struggled to fill the void left by long-time head, Lute Olsen. (I have been more than vocal about current assistant, Mike Dunlap, who basically was the interim coach this year. I am more than curious to see which lucky school swoops him up.) Although, Miller tried to be loyal to his guys back at Xavier (they will be loaded next year), working at a major program in a town like Tucson has to be a better set-up than his old digs back in “The Natty.”
It was the other major signing yesterday, however, that got my attention. Kudos to Memphis University in its inking of Josh Pastner as the incumbent to the now-Kentucky head John Calipari. Many around the basketball world might not be familiar with the young Pastner, but believe me, this is a hiring that will reverberate around the Mid-South for years. Not only does Pastner already have a year with his future Tiger players (Wesley Witherspoon, Roburt Sallie and Angel Garcia to name a few) as an assistant, but he will also provide the Memphis program inside access and probable signings from one of the nation’s largest and (as of late) most fertile recruiting grounds, in Houston, Texas. (Pastner’s father, Hal, basically started and runs AAU ball in the city and Josh has been involved with coaching since he was still a player himself on the older Houston Hoops’ teams.)
Yes, the kid is young (31 years old) but he is more than ready for his first head-coaching gig. Oddly enough, Pastner cut his collegiate teeth on the court and on the bench in Tucson at the aforementioned, U of Arizona before taking the assistant’s job at Memphis last summer. To be truthful, that university should have made Pastner some promises while Coach Olsen was struggling with his health/passion. The hire for Memphis will surely not bring the national splash and flair that a Bruce Pearl or Leonard Hamilton might have, but it will guarantee the Tigers’ continued national relevance from their perch high atop Conference-USA.
With the season now officially over, fear not! For those of you diehards of the college game (and those that want to know what they are talking about before/during/after the draft) Cub Scouts will continue during the off-season with breakdowns of potential draft selections, sit-downs with coaches and players and much, much more.
Check Cub Buenning’s scouting website for weekly player reports.

NCAA Championship Live Blog

CHN — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:37:51 -0400

by Jeff Fox
It’s finally time to put an end to the Madness, in a ridiculously cold and snowy Detroit. I know what you are thinking - “You’re Canadian - you should be used to this weather”. But it’s April - enough already.
As I mentioned in Saturday’s semi-final blog, most of the Michigan State faithful fled Ford Field before the end of the UNC-Villanova tilt, so by the time I hit the streets later that night the party was in full swing. With all the drunken, swaying green-clad fans in the streets it felt like being in a forest hit by a wind storm. I don’t expect the party to be as rowdy tonight for two reasons - I expect Carolina to win and it’s too damn cold.
There are two main storylines heading into tonight’s game. The first is that Carolina put a 35-point whipping on State in early December in this very same building. The second is that State is lifting the spirits of this depressed city and state. While I feel this second statement is being exagerated a bit, travelling around this city and seing how excited people are - plus reading in Sports Illustrated that the area is expected to earn $45 million from the Final Four - perhaps I’m wrong.
Just leaving for Ford Field now to grab some food (hopefully someone with the NCAA read my Saturday blog and have improved the vegetarian selections) and attend a press conference with a couple of guys named Magic and Bird. I think they used to be players or coaches or something.
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Michigan State

Marcus Jordan Commits to Central Florida

CHN — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:23:59 -0400

Sorry Illinois fans, at least the winters will be nicer for MJ Jr. at UCF: “He made his decision based on two criteria,” said Tyrone Slaughter, Jordan’s coach at Whitney Young High in the Chicago area. “One was the ability to go in and make an immediate impact. He wanted to go in and have an opportunity to play right away at the collegiate level. Secondly, if it was a place that he went to on a visit that would immediately appeal to him. He immediately felt comfortable during his visit to UCF.”

It’s Official: Arizona Will Have a Coach Next Season

CHN — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:53:22 -0400

Talk about a change of heart. The former Xavier head coach allegedly accepted a seven-year deal worth about $18 million with a $1 million dollar signing bonus. Why the Wildcats targeted USC coach Tim Floyd before Miller doesn’t make sense, but ‘Zona got the best possible hire in the end.

Slamadaday: Durrell Summers on Stanley Robinson

CHN — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:13:11 -0400

UConn recruits defensive-minded frontcourt talent — from Okafor to Thabeet. But these guys have a strong tendancy to find themselves the poor victims of the sickest slams. Many times.

This Past Week In Recruiting

CHN — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 23:45:10 -0400

by Franklyn Calle
The Chicago Tribune reported on Monday that Darius Smith gave UConn a verbal commitment. Considered one of the top unsigned senior point guards in the nation, at 6-2 and 170lb, the Chicago native picked the Huskies over Arizona State and Cincinnati. Missouri, Purdue, Kentucky, Indiana, Marquette and Oregon State offered scholarships while UCLA, Memphis and Duke showed interest lately but none put an offer on the table. “UConn’s style of play is my style of play-up and down the court,” Smith told the paper. “With A.J. Price a senior, this was a good fit for them and for me. I pride myself on doing it at both ends of the court, just like him.”
“I like the program and get along real well with the coaching staff. I will be a true point guards there.” Smith attended Marshall Metropolitan HS where he averaged 23 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists and 7 steals for the season. He was selected to the first-team All-State. According to the report, he will be the first Public Leaguer to play for Connecticut since Young’s Marcus White back in 2002. He ranks #12 among all senior point guards according to ESPN.com. Smith now joins Jamal Trice- a 6-5 shooting guard from Mount Zion Christian Academy in North Carolina, Jamal Coombs-McDaniel-a 6-6 small forward from The Tilton School in New Hampshire and Alex Oriakhi- a 6-8 forward also from The Tilton School, as part of the Huskies’ 2009 recruiting class.
On Thursday, Penn State received a verbal commitment from Taran Buie. The 6-3 junior shooting guard ranks among the top in the nation at his position. He attends Bishop Maginn HS in Albany, New York. Buie chose Penn State over Maryland, Marquette, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Miami, Notre Dame and Rutgers. According to the Albany Times Union, the New York guard committed to coach Ed DeChellis moments after his team defeated Baylor University at Madison Square Garden to capture the NIT title on Thursday night. “He called me (at 11:45 p.m. Thursday) and told me he gave Coach DeChellis his commitment,” Bishop Maginn coach Rich Hurley told the paper. “I told him, ‘If that is where you want to go, I support you 100 percent.’ He is a Nittany Lion.” Buie becomes the first commit for Penn State’s 2010 recruiting class.
Terrell Stoglin verbally committed to the University of Maryland on Wednesday while on the phone with Maryland coach Gary Williams, according to the Arizona Daily Star. The nationally ranked junior point guard averaged 27 points and 7.5 assists per game this past season. “He told me they put a lot of trust in me to help the team get back to the Sweet 16,” Stoglin told the paper. “It feels real good. I’m just trying to get there and contribute to the team.” His high school coach at Santa Rita HS, Jim Ferguson, told the paper the following: “They’ve been watching him and they like what they see,” Ferguson said. “They have a point guard who’s graduating and he can move right in. I don’t know if Tucson’s ever sent a player to play in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference).” Stoglin reportedly was also considering USC, UCLA, Arizona, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, Northern Arizona and San Diego. He becomes the first commit for the Terrapins’ 2010 recruiting class.
John Calipari’s arrival at the University of Kentucky on Wednesday as head coach has developed a mass exodus from recruits who have committed to the Wildcat’s program. According to the Louisville Courier-Journal, six prospects have backed away from their commitment. Texas point guard G.J. Vilarino, who signed a letter of intent in November, has asked for a release and will be getting it soon. He was the first commitment for the former Kentucky head coach, Billy Gillispie, when getting hired two years ago. According to ESPN.com, Vilarino chose the Wildcats over Memphis, Kansas, Texas A&M, Illinois and Baylor. Juniors Dakotah Euton- a 6-7 power forward from Scott Country HS in kentucky and K.C. Ross-Miller- a 6-1 point guard from God’s Academy in Dallas, Texas, also have decided to open-up their recruitment once again. Konner Tucker, a 6-4 guard who is currently playing junior college ball at Lon Morris College in Texas, also de-committed on Wednesday after Calipari’s announcement. Freshmen Michael Avery de-committed on Thursday. The 6-4 shooting guard who currently attends Crespi Carmelite HS in California gave Kentucky a verbal commitment last April while still in the 8th grade. Then as the weekend began, Dominique Ferguson announced he was also going to open up his recruitment. According to the Courier-Journal, he will be looking at Louisville and Indiana as options. “Calipari is a great coach, and he could fit into that system and excel,” Deon Ferguson (Dominique’s father) told the paper. “Now he has to recruit him. Just because he’s the coach there doesn’t mean he just has to go there. He’s going to look at other options.” Ferguson was the highest-ranked player that coach Billy Gillispie was able to receive a commitment from. He is one of the top ranked juniors in the nation according to every scouting service. Right here at SLAM, we have the 6-9 forward from Lawrence North HS in Indianapolis as #20 in his class. With six of the nine players that committed to Gillispie and the Kentucky Wildcats now looking elsewhere, sophomore Vinny Zollo still hasn’t backed away from his verbal commitment to the program while seniors Jon Hood- a 6-6 small forward from Madisonville North Hopkins HS in Kentucky and Daniel Orton- a 6-10 center from Bishop McGuinness HS in Oklahoma, both of which have signed letters of intent to the program, still remain committed.
The Lawrence Journal-World reported on Saturday that Xavier Henry’s father, Carl Henry, told the paper that his son wants to play for Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks. Henry has already asked for a release from his letter of intent that he signed back in November with the University of Memphis. “I believe what it comes down to is Xavier wants to go to KU,” Carl Henry told the Lawrence Journal-World. “It should all be settled in the next two or three weeks.” Henry will be able to sign with another school because there was an agreement with the school in the letter of intent that if John Calipari was to leave for another job then he would be released. Xavier’s brother, C.J. Henry (a walk-on at Memphis), also wants to follow suit but may have to stay if he wants to play. “C.J. doesn’t want to sit out. He wants to play,” Carl said. “Basically if he transfers, we don’t think C.J. will be able to play. We will not know for sure until we talk to a couple lawyers. I don’t think it’s fair he has to sit out a year. The school is not paying for his scholarship. The Yankees (who signed him out of high school) are paying for it. He didn’t play all year. He should be able to go to Kansas and play right away.”

Player’s coach of the year: Me!

CHN — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 16:58:34 -0400

By Sam Rubenstein
In High School teaching, which as we’ve established, is like coaching, it’s supposed to be all about the players. My job is to put them in a position where they can succeed. With the NCAA tourney coming to a close Monday night, on the same day that my 9th graders will perform scenes from The Odyssey for a big final project, I am sweating a whole war machine’s worth of bullets.
I drew up “gameplans”, meaning activities and lessons to get them ready, and some of them are getting it, but I’m nervous about the group. This is why coaches look like they’ve been sleeping under a train car full of hobos. You should see the bags under my eyes these days. John Chaney is a pretty boy compared to me. But the important question to ask is “Mr. Rubenstein, what type of coach are you?” Why, I’m glad you asked.
There are the Bobby Knight types who are just rude, terrible people, but they know what’s best for your child. Okay, maybe they’re not bad people, neither is Bobby. They sure do yell a lot and fly off the handle for the littest things though. I’m too new to this to be a Calhoun type, although I would love to be able to say things like “Yeah there’s a lot of rules, maybe they got broken. Whaddyagonnado?” The kids have mastered that philosophy. Jim Calhoun would fit right in with the 9th and 10th graders.
There are other teachers at my school who are the fast talking hotshot coaches, in the Pitino-Calipari mold, who work their corrupt magic somehow. I am jealous of them. Sure they both fell short in the tourney, but that’s what one-and-done elimination is. In my world now it’s called high stakes testing. Cruel, unfair, stressful, the way of the world. More importantly, they gettin’ monnnnneeeeee!!!
I have a lot of respect for Tom Izzo, but I’ve seen his pre-game speeches on TV, and that’s just not my style. I wish. Roy Williams is too folksy daggumit, Coach K has too many motivational slogans, Boeheim is too grumpy. I take more of an NBA coach approach to teaching, which is to be a player’s coach.
The key to everything is knowing your students, like knowing your players. I have the LeBron of students in my freshman English class. She’s so smart, has such a good attitude, that I am lucky to able to work with her. I give her every chance to get away with stuff if she wants to, not that she would. She doesn’t need coaching, she just needs to be given a stage to dominate and be reminded not to get too cocky. I also have a Chris Paul in the room, just like LeBron but shorter and usually dressed in flourescent colors. Which one is the best? It’s a debate, although LeBron can do more and has achieved more so far. I thank the education Gods for placing the two of them in my classroom.
There are quieter, humble types of superstars, like the Tim Duncan of my class, a quiet Brazilian girl who claims she has trouble with some of the language, but then she will raise her hand and blow me away with thoughts much deeper than my own. Tim Duncan is complemented by Amar’e, a student who radiates brilliance, but let’s just say she has some “lapses.”
I have closet geniuses who could be the superstars if they so chose, but they just are not built that way. Rasheed Wallaces. Sheed did his best work when he was coached by Rick Adelman and Larry Brown, and if I fall somewhere in the middle between those two, that would be great, because I have no idea how to reach the Rasheeds. Just let them be? Hahahahahahahaha! Oh man… the sheer destruction that would ensue…
Is there a Stephen Jackson/Ron Artest/token violent and insane student in my class? Indeed. He also happens to be a part of the closet genius crew. We went on a field trip to the museum to do science experiments on Friday, learning about DNA in caviar. He raised his hand and asked “Can you buy caviar with foodstamps?” He also told me he missed class because he got into a fight with a cop after he called the cop a “B— a$$ n—-” and the cop had the nerve to grab him!
You’ll be pleased to know there is a Steph 2008-09 in the class. He was away from the school on suspension for 7 weeks and things were going smoothly. Now he’s back, and he’s dragging people down with him. But this is not the NBA where you can throw $20 million at a problem to make it go away. Imagine if D’Antoni was forced to keep Steph involved the whole time. Mikey D, I envy you.
There is a group of kids in the “Can’t stay out of trouble” mode, the ones who make the news for all the wrong reasons. Let’s not even go there, it’s too depressing. Liars!
Others I have to encourage. You know how coaches never say “I can’t believe that scrub dared to take the shot.” I never allow them to lose confidence, and I keep including them, staying as balanced as possible. It’s working out pretty well.
Some are no-shows, DNPs if you will. Yeah, they won’t be in the “NBA” much longer if they keep this up.
My main dude is the quiet funny kid in the back. He’s lazy, he makes funny faces, he makes me laugh. He’s 15 years old and he said to me “Hey man, you’re harshing my mellow.” I guess you could say he’s a class clown, but he’s also really quiet. He’s one of those quirky cult figures that NBA diehards love so much.
There is a Kobe in the class. Oh boy… this is a 14 year old boy with a deep voice, awkwardly tall for his age, and he is absolutely brilliant. I wrote a question on a test “How does Odysseus change over the course of his journey?” and he wrote “Odysseus has acquired a sense of ruthlessness from his desperation.” I’m telling you, this kid is a genius. I am also telling you that I have never had to beg and plead and scream and whine and beg and plead and scream and whine and threaten and praise and want to strangle a person more in my life.
Add it all up, and you’ve got a “team” that finally made it to the big dance. As their coach, I put them in position to do their job on Monday. There’s nothing else I can do for them, other than to be overcome with nervous energy.
AND SO IN CONCLUSION… “Coaching” is a lot more than stalking kids with text messages, accepting bribes from boosters, and writing frantically on dry erase boards. Although as you can see in the picture above, my dry erase game is getting tighter. Big games for Roy Williams, Tom Izzo, and Mr. Rubenstein tomorrow. NERVOUS!!!

Final Four Live Blog

CHN — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 17:15:46 -0400

by Jeff Fox

With the Final Four tipping off a mere three hours from my igloo in the Great White North, I graciously volunteered to cover it for SLAM (I know, my generosity is astounding). So I made sure our pet polar bear had enough food, loaded up the sled dogs and mushed off to the land of opportunity - the U.S. of A. For good measure I brought along my wife and son to drop some greenbacks and ensure the success of Obama’s economic stimulus plan.
Not surprisingly the city is a sea of green. A swarm of Michigan State jerseys, t-shirts, license plates and hats have swarmed the city. The only place they haven’t invaded seems to be my hotel out in the ‘burbs, which seems to be exclusive Villanova territory. Unfortunately I expect the green-clad fans to go home dissapointed today as I expect UConn to win this game. But, then again, I tend to be wrong on the rare occasion.
Just heading out to the court now - back in a bit.

No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 1 Connecticut

Original Old School: Leaders of the New School

CHN — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 00:01:15 -0400

Welcome back to the great state of Michigan for this year’s Final Four! In honor of the occasion let’s take a look back at the squad from Michigan that changed the face of college basketball, altered our view of “cool” and, arguably, paved the way for the SLAM generation (sorry, AI). Juwan, Chris, Jalen, Ray, and Jimmy, this one’s for you. While some disappointed on the pro level and Juwan is the only one still in playing in the Association, we’ll never forget all of your contributions. Thanks for making us possible…SLAM #51. —Tzvi Twersky
by Alan Paul
“The Fab Five was once in a lifetime! What they achieved will never, ever happen again.”
The familiar voice of Dick Vitale’s booms through the phone line, scratchy and emphatic. He may be a bit less frenzied off the air, but Vitale can’t contain his excitement when the subject turns to the Fab Five, the heralded freshmen who drove Michigan to consecutive title games in ’92 and ’93. “This story deserves special acclaim,” Vitale says. “I can’t tell you how many times I hear coaches say, ‘We can’t win because we have two freshmen in our rotation.’ It’s absolutely accepted wisdom and the Fab Five turned it on its head. I think what they did is absolutely unique in the history of basketball and doesn’t get the play it deserves.”
Vitale’s statement is accurate but stunning nonetheless. How could the Fab Five be underrated when, despite never winning a league or national championship, they still managed to change the face of college ball? The concept would have been unfathomable nine years ago when Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King were garnering countless headlines and being covered in a manner more MTV than ESPN.
“They were greeted like rock stars,” recalls Rob Pelinka, a role player on those teams and now an agent whose clients include Jazz rookie DeShawn Stevenson. “We sometimes needed police escorts because our bus would be surrounded by people.”
And just like every new sensation from Elvis to Eminem, there was serious debate about whether the Fab Five represented something creative and wonderful or arrogant and destructive. Their brash confidence, in-your-face trash talking and hip-hop fashion sense were both embraced and attacked like no college sports team before or since. The debate continues to this day, especially in Ann Arbor, where the basketball team struggles along under a cloud of impropriety that dates back to the Fabs’ recruitment. But one thing is beyond debate: the Fab Five represented something entirely new, an entire class of blue chip recruits covering every position, each of whom lived up to their top billing.
Power forward Webber was Michigan’s Mr. Basketball and the nation’s top recruit. Howard, a 6-9 center, and the 6-5 shooting guard King were the top players in Illinois and Texas, respectively, and Rose was a 6-8 pg who had led Detroit’s Southwestern High to two state titles. Jackson was the only one of the five who wasn’t a McDonald’s All-American, but the 6-6 Texan was one of the nation’s top small forward prospects. And while serendipity and coach Steve Fisher’s intense leg work certainly played huge roles in landing such an esteemed class, the Fab Five also recruited themselves.
“Juwan is responsible for the whole thing,” says Webber today. “Jalen and I had talked about going to school together since we were 12, but Juwan is the one who got it going. He made us believe that we could create something great together.”
Explains Howard, “I started a chain reaction. Jimmy and I met on our visit and decided to go to Michigan. Then I called Chris, because we had become good friends through the All-Star games, and started working on him. I persuaded him and he got a hold of Jalen, which is exactly what I wanted. I was looking to win a national title or two, instead of just going somewhere and being assured of being the man.”
It didn’t take long for the dreams to come to fruition; all five recall that the chemistry was immediate. “The day we all met, we played a pickup game outside our dorm and it was just there,” says Webber.
Nonetheless, it takes a huge leap for a memorable pickup squad to become NCAA title contenders. Most great college teams result from a slow blending of talents, with experience trumping nearly everything else. The Fab Five turned that formula on its head. Juniors Pelinka, James Voskuil, Michael Talley and Eric Riley were key contributors, but clearly support players to the five freshmen, a seemingly impossible situation deftly managed by Fisher and his staff.
“It takes freshmen a while to grasp the college game,” says Randy Ayers, a current Sixers assistant who was the head man at Ohio State at the time. “A high school star has an adjustment period learning to accept sacrificing for the good of the team. That almost always takes a year or two, but the Fab Five found their niches immediately. Chris, Jalen and Juwan were the go-to guys and the Texas kids were the defenders. And they played off each other beautifully.”
Adds Vitale, “These guys truly enjoyed each other’s company and responded as a unit, with the emphasis on the team rather than individual stats. They were a very unselfish team that blended extremely well.”
And, the players all say, they made each other better on a daily basis, filling one another with their trademark confidence. “As a group, we always felt invincible,” says Webber. “Individually, you always have fear and doubt, but we never did as a team. I felt that together we could accomplish anything.”
While the Fab Five’s critics accused them of showboating—“too much with the French pastry and the hot-dogging!” proclaimed broadcaster Al McGuire—the fact is, they played solid, team-oriented ball. If you watch their games today—easy to do, thanks to ESPN Classic—you’ll see a confident unit playing great help D, running crisp sets and effortlessly improvising whenever necessary.
“We had pretty good game-time execution, which is often overlooked because of some of the players’ flamboyance,” says Jay Smith, then a Michigan assistant, now the coach of Central Michigan University. Indeed, from their very first tip-off, Webber, Rose and King in particular exhibited tremendous flavor to go with their savvy. Webber was a dominant post presence with supple hands and ferocious power. Rose was a cocksure point with maddening lapses but an uncanny knack for coming through in the clutch. And King was a tremendous finisher as well as a deadly three-point shooter and reliable defensive stopper. Howard, meanwhile, was rock solid in the post, making teams pay for collapsing on Webber, and Jackson was a steady hand who often came through with crucial baskets, boards and stops. All five turned in highlight-reel worthy jams on a regular basis.
“There were times when we just played basketball, and it may not have been all that structured, but we often ran the passing game, which is really just fundamental ball: reading each other, setting picks and cutting,” says King, who, like Jackson, is now playing in the IBL. “We were able to do it well because of our knowledge and understanding of the game, and because we practiced it a lot.”
But much of the initial buzz about the Fab Five had little to do with fundamentals—or basketball at all. Gallons of ink were spilled about their flapping shorts, black socks and gleaming bald domes and their constant on-court chatter, as they endlessly jawed at both opponents and each other. If it seems hard to understand why such things would cause a furor, that itself is evidence of the Fab Five’s impact. Watch their games and you’ll see that while the Fab Five’s opponents look dated in their clingy unis, the Michigan youngsters—even now—look contemporary. “They completely changed the fashion of college ball,” says Ayers.
And while some critics blasted Fisher for allowing such freedom, the coach wisely used it as a motivational tool.
“Fish would let us do things like get bigger shorts and wear black socks if we practiced hard,” Webber recalls. “He was like, ‘You can wear what you want as long as you work hard, practice right and play smart.’”
The group first came to serious national acclaim in the fifth game of their rookie year, when they took defending champs Duke to overtime before falling 85-81. Most observers considered it a great moral victory, but the Michigan players were incensed they lost a game they could have won. But while the site of Webber and Rose yapping in the faces of Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley delighted those who found the Dookies arrogant and insufferable, it also ruffled a lot of feathers. Columnists spewed and older Michigan alums stewed. Even refs weren’t beyond getting in on the act, as when Rose got T’d up for smiling.
The Fab Five seemed unbothered by any of it, however, finishing their freshman season 21-8 and ranked 14th in the nation, with a sixth seed in the Big Dance. In a fitting omen, the team ran into Muhammad Ali, the man who invented trash talking, at their Atlanta hotel the night before their first tournament game, against Temple. When The Greatest pulled Howard close and whispered “Shock the world!” in his young ear, The Fab Five had themselves a new rallying cry, which they rode to an Elite Eight battle with Big Ten champion Ohio State. The Jim Jackson-led Buckeyes had beaten Michigan twice already, but things had changed.
“They were a totally different team,” recalls Ayers. “They were physically stronger and they played smarter and with more confidence.”
Different enough to win a thrilling OT game, 75-71, catapulting them to the Final Four, where Nick Van Exel’s Cincinnati squad lay in waiting. After winning a nail-biter, the Fab Five had another date with Duke. Though they seemed unflappable, they came out for introductions lacking their usual fire, with nary a chest bump or holler. But if the rookies were a tad nervous, the reigning kings looked downright spooked. Perennial tourney hero Laettner sleepwalked through the first half, and the Fab Five clawed their way to a one-point lead.
It didn’t last. At the six-minute mark of the second half, the roof caved in and Michigan suddenly couldn’t score or defend. They ended up losing by 20, sending Webber running off the court, his uniform pulled over his sobbing eyes. In the locker room, he and his teammates all pledged to never again feel such crushing disappointment. They were at least sure of one thing: there was always next year.
But the sophomore season wasn’t the same for any of the Fab Five. “The novelty wore off and people no longer seemed to like the confidence and swagger they carried,” says Smith. “It got to the point where you either loved them or hated them.”
And, indeed, many younger fans gave serious love. Though they were widely criticized in the press, baggy shorts, black socks and M logos became as ubiquitous as Nikes on playgrounds and in gyms from coast to coast. And the impact was felt throughout college ball. Opposing coaches began letting their players alter their uniforms, and the Fab Five’s fashion sense already seemed less radical. By the time they faced North Carolina in the ’93 title game, the Tar Heels shorts were even longer than theirs. But that was little consolation to a group of 19-year-olds who felt themselves being tarred and feathered as everything-that’s-wrong-with-sports-and-kids-today.
“It’s a good story to build someone up and it’s a good story to tear them back down,” says King. “I understand that now, but at the time we couldn’t understand how we went from being media darlings to the nation’s bad boys. We didn’t really do anything to warrant that.”
In truth, as sophomores, the Fab Five were sometimes a bit out of control. After a big win at Michigan State, several players pretended they were defecating on the Spartans’ center-court S. And the team talked incessant trash before an early season rematch with Duke, with Webber saying he “wished Laettner would come back from [the NBA] so we can beat him too.” The Cameron Crazies had a field day heckling the team, as Duke pasted them by 11.
Still, the Fab Five righted themselves to go 25-4 and earn a No. 1 seed in the West regional. Now the attacks could really begin. Before the start of the tourney, Bill Walton called the Fab Five “one of the most overrated and underachieving teams of all time…who epitomize a lot of what’s wrong with a lot of basketball players.” It was the most vicious and well-publicized—but certainly not the only—assault on the team.
“We were just playing ball and having fun, and people said, ‘Just play, be quiet and don’t enjoy your wins,” says King. “But we weren’t putting on a show. We were just having fun doing what we love. We weren’t kicking people when they were on the ground like Christian Laettner did. But no matter what happened, teams like Indiana, UNC and Duke got only good press, because their coaches were perceived as being strong and in control, and we got attacked for taking over college basketball because we were perceived as being out of control.”
In the second round, the overrated underachievers pulled off the greatest comeback in Michigan history, coming back from 19 down to beat UCLA in overtime 86-84 on a King putback at the buzzer. After beating George Washington, the only thing standing in the way of a second straight Final Four was Temple, led by Eddie Jones, Aaron McKie and a bunch of less-talented tough guys. Chaney’s big men did everything but gouge out Webber’s and Howard’s eyes. On the verge of defeat, Chaney was finally T’d up for spewing profanities at both Fisher and the refs, had to be restrained by his assistant coaches and finally refused to shake Fisher’s hand—then went to a press conference and blasted the Fab Five for taunting.
“That kind of criticism was really bothersome all year long,” says King. “We just ignored it. In fact, we never even talked about how much less fun the second year was until Chris said it in a Final Four press conference. I remember thinking, ‘So it’s not just me.’”
In the semifinals, Michigan was a seven-point underdog to Jamal Mashburn’s powerful Kentucky team, which had dismantled its tourney opponents by an average of 31 points, thanks to Rick Pitino’s brutal end-to-end pressure. The Fab Five took the Cats into OT, their fourth extra period in eight games, before winning 81-78. It was not only their best-played game in months, but also one of the most memorable Tournament battles in recent years.
Despite all the criticism, pressure and close calls, they’d made it back to their second title game, where they would face UNC. In the first half, the Fab Five were again flat and out of sync, down six at the break. Then Fisher aggressively challenged them in the locker room and Webber lifted the team en route to 23 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. The team got in trouble when Rose and King lost their shooting touches down the stretch, but Webber seemed fated to be the hero when he grabbed a missed UNC free throw with 20 seconds left and looked upcourt. After getting away with an uncalled traveling violation, he was headed for the history books—for all the wrong reasons.
Carolina led by two. With Rose covered, CWebb headed to the other end of the court, picked up his dribble and panicked. With Pelinka wide open and desperately waving his arms behind the three-point line across court and King staking out position underneath the basket, Webber called timeout. Michigan had none left. A T was whistled, UNC hit the shots and went on to win 77-71.
To a man, the Michigan players will tell you they never considered the possibility of losing that game. So they had to skip doubt and leap right to heartbreak. Again. Before long, Webber would announce he was leaving school for the NBA, and that was that for the Fab Five. They finished their two-year run at 56-14, including two losses in the games that mattered most.
Might Walton have been right? Were they just a bunch of overhyped losers? If you ever ask Vitale that question, be ready to duck.
“It is absolutely absurd for people to criticize the Fab Five as underachievers or failures because they didn’t win a title,” Vitale says. “College ball is not the NBA. It’s one game and there’s a lot of luck involved. Many great teams don’t win titles, but we unfortunately live in a world where if you don’t cut down the nets, you didn’t achieve anything. That’s a ridiculous perspective.”
And no team proved that point more than the Fab Five.

SLAM 128: On Sale Now!

CHN — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:20:52 -0400

by Ben Osborne
This issue has been teased in various places, on here an elsewhere, but today, finally, is the official unveiling. As always, I’m excited to share it with our readers, most of whom should be able to buy it this weekend in NYC and next week everywhere else.
As far as explaining why we did this dope, original split cover, I don’t think I could say it better than I did in my “6th Man” Editor’s Letter from the issue, so I’m going to reprint that below and then I’ll close with some of the details about availability.
Here’s my letter, word for word:
>>Something for Everyone…
Everyone interested in who their favorite sport’s future stars are, that is. As far as content in our magazine, there is no disputing that SLAM is always looking ahead. We featured Ricky Rubio when few people had ever even heard of him. We put the spotlight on Lance Stephenson before he’d finished his freshman year of high school, and our Punks section brings you the nation’s best prep players on a monthly basis (such as Brandon Jennings about one year ago). You get the point.
So what made us flip the usual script of putting future stars in the mag while the NBA’s top dogs grace the cover? A dash of daring combined with two unique opportunities and the understanding that Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade aren’t going anywhere. The daring comes from our willingness to try something different. Is it just stars who sell SLAM, or have we reached the point in this, our 15th year, where basketball-loving magazine buyers can trust that even if they don’t instantly realize the face(s) on our illustrious front page, the players must be dope because we say they are? The SLAM staff is obviously counting on the latter.
The opportunities came from two once-this-season meetings. The first, which jump-started the entire conversation regarding this cover, was knowing that Brandon’s Lottomattica Roma team was meeting Ricky’s DKV Joventut in Spain last December 11. Sure, we figured every hoop journalist worth their salt would be hounding these great prospects that week, but it couldn’t hurt to ask for some time, right? Well, either no one asked or these guys chose us, because they graciously gave us more than two hours of their time.
Once we had the big international cover locked up, we decided to cover our bases with a look at the two most compelling prep guards in America. Sure enough, just 10 days after Ricky and Brandon were in the same city at the same time, John Wall and Lance were in the same city at the same time. We reached out to those guys, dispatched Kelly Kline (see below) for her second big job in two weeks, and arguably the coolest split cover in SLAM history was born. We sat on them for a minute while Kobe and DWade did their thing, but with high school All-American games here and Draft buzz increasing, the time had come. The future is now.<<

Hopefully my letter answers the “why these guys?” or “why now?” questions people might have. Want more of that? Check out Ricky-Lang cover story writer Lang Whitaker’s extra video content here, and get John-Lance cover story writer Aggrey Sam’s take on his piece here.
Not that I expect too many questions after people have really looked at these covers…I’m expecting more of the “Damn, you guys are good”-type comments.
As for availability, all newsstands in the US will have both covers. That is still the biggest part of our business and we want you all to have a choice. Overseas outlets will most likely just have Ricky-Brandon (for obvious reasons), and subscribers will get Ricky-Brandon as there wasn’t a regional split that made sense. The best solution for people who want both covers? Go to simbackissues.com, click on SLAM and buy ‘em both.