U of M MEN'S BASKETBALL: 2018-2019

[Kstat]

Think he's waiting to the last minute to see how deep the 2018 draft class is.

[Kstat]

Its official. Mo's gone and he's hiring an agent.

Good for him, and good for Jon Teske. this is your big chance, kid.

[hack]

There it is. Good luck, Mo. Thanks for some great memories. An early departure well earned.

[The Oracle]

What a great article by him. Gonna miss him. All time fav.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/en-us/articles/moe-wagner-thank-you-michigan

[hack]

Absolute all-time favorite for you? That's really something. Not entirely crazy, I guess. IMO, in my viewing lifetime I guess it's gotta be Rice, Burke, Mo? Asterisk for Webber, who I loved more than all the other Fabs, but he's vacated his place on the list. I would have to think further about this.

Rice was my first Michigan basketball hero and holds the tourney scoring record in the year in which Michigan got its only title. Easy #1.

I still think that when you watch the Kansas game from '13 what you're seeing is Burke just willing himeself into the zone for roughly 10 minutes of game time, or 30 real minutes. He didn't get hot at the right time; he forced himself to where he needed to be to get the win, and that's a pretty damn long time to remain in the zone. The volume and diversity of ways in which he made plays in that last ten minutes of action was special. The shotmaking but the forced timeline violation and the steals, etc. No actual basketball player in '13 stopped him. Burke didn't lose; he had the win taken from him by people who weren't on the opposing team. I think that gets him #2 on my list.

(You can argue a place in history for Robinson, who made the shots that got the ring, but Seton Hall could say the same thing about that game that Burke did, save for that it was one insane call in 89 rather than a series of consistent choices by the refs in '13 -- who should be protected from foul trouble (Hancock, Dieng), who should not (Burke), and The Block.)

[CGVT]

[*JD*]

Absolute all-time favorite for you? That's really something. Not entirely crazy, I guess. IMO, in my viewing lifetime I guess it's gotta be Rice, Burke, Mo? Asterisk for Webber, who I loved more than all the other Fabs, but he's vacated his place on the list. I would have to think further about this.

Rice was my first Michigan basketball hero and holds the tourney scoring record in the year in which Michigan got its only title. Easy #1.

I still think that when you watch the Kansas game from '13 what you're seeing is Burke just willing himeself into the zone for roughly 10 minutes of game time, or 30 real minutes. He didn't get hot at the right time; he forced himself to where he needed to be to get the win, and that's a pretty damn long time to remain in the zone. The volume and diversity of ways in which he made plays in that last ten minutes of action was special. The shotmaking but the forced timeline violation and the steals, etc. No actual basketball player in '13 stopped him. Burke didn't lose; he had the win taken from him by people who weren't on the opposing team. I think that gets him #2 on my list.

(You can argue a place in history for Robinson, who made the shots that got the ring, but Seton Hall could say the same thing about that game that Burke did, save for that it was one insane call in 89 rather than a series of consistent choices by the refs in '13 -- who should be protected from foul trouble (Hancock, Dieng), who should not (Burke), and The Block.)

Webber gets an asterisk but not Rumeal? What he did to the Fords seems far worse than anything Webber may have done.

[hack]

He didn't do that to the school or the program though. Webber has a really complicated relationship with UM. I hope he comes home, so to speak, but don't think the banners should ever be hung again. Rumeal went on to be a pretty troubled guy but his banner hangs still, and he didn't screw the program. Remember the Mitch Albom column in which Webber would like to be able to afford two filet-o-fish at McDonalds but could only get one? He was taking money at the time.

Certainly you have to consider Rose in the pantheon. But as the Fabs went, I loved Webber first and foremost and by a wide margin, and then the rest of them. God he was so good. Never recovered, it seems.

[*JD*]

I do feel some luster has been taken off for me as well, in regards to Webber but I think he's still my bittersweet #2.

I do remember that I watched the first ever CBS college broadcast with Michigan and Mike McGee (playing Arkansas, I think?) but didn't really start to follow the team until a couple of years later when a classmate of mine started getting tickets to games because she babysat for Bill Frieder. So, the Eric Turner/Leslie Rockymore/Tim McCormick squad was my real introduction to Michigan Basketball.

Since that time until now, these are my favorite players. Some were also the best players but also guys I really liked/appreciated. After the Top 4, maybe some of the newer guys rank higher, because the memories are fresh. My Sweet 16:

1) Glen Rice- just an incredible player that carried his team to a title. Amazing shooter.


2) Chris Webber- regardless of the Ed Martin stuff, played with passion and was ferocious. Easily, the most talented player I've seen in Maize & Blue.


3) Trey Burke- Leader. Mr. Big Shot, Ann Arbor-version.


4) Loy Vaught- I don't think he was that heralded a recruit but he kept working to be better every year and made himself an NBA player. Loved those 12-foot J's from the baseline and the occasional rim-bender. Character guy too.


5) TIMMAY- I liked his passion and that he worked to improve every year. I was also a fan of his dad's, in the Golden State years, so he had the coolness-factor coming to A2.


6) Zak Novak- Probably did more with what he had than anyone else on this list. A 6'4", maybe 210 guy who had to play Power Forward for most of his time at Michigan. He bled for Michigan Basketball.


7) Juwan Howard. Another blue-collar guy, like Vaught. Just a more talented version. It's easy to forget how dominant he was his Junior year but he was awesome on the block.


8) Moe Wagner. Really likeable, even moreso after reading that article. Played the villian but also showed so much empathy for the player on Houston and gave nods to other opponents in his essay.


9) Antoine Joubert. My first favorite Michigan player. An Origanal Drip Boy. Here's a rare shot of him playing defense.

I actually don't recall if he was a terrible defender or not.

10) Jalen Rose. Ringleader of the Fab 5.



11) Maceo Baston. I just loved that dude. Plastic Man!


12) Gary Grant. Maybe still the best 2-way PG we've had.


13) Mitch McGary. WIN THE GAME. We got a bit robbed of Mitch at Michigan, sort of the modern Jamal Crawford situation, but his contributions here were not unnoticed. Plus, he almost helped out the state in a big way.


14) Derrick Walton. Last year's run was incredible, and gets him on my list.


15) Caris LeVert. Another one that we didn't get to see all that he could be but I'm a fan.


16) Jimmy King. Some memorable dunks against hated opponents and a big tip-in vs. UCLA.



Plenty of honorable mentions: Ray Jackson, Nikki Buckets, Roy Tarpley, T-Mills, Rumeal (while at Michigan, he'd have made my top 10), MAAR, GR III, Jordan Morgan, Stu Douglass, Jamal Crawford, Louis Bullock, Lavell Blanchard, Tractor Traylor, Mo Taylor, Sean Higgins and newest entry, Jordan Poole all come to mind. I was also a HUGE Albert White fan, until he transferred to Mizzou.

[*JD*]

He didn't do that to the school or the program though. Webber has a really complicated relationship with UM. I hope he comes home, so to speak, but don't think the banners should ever be hung again. Rumeal went on to be a pretty troubled guy but his banner hangs still, and he didn't screw the program. Remember the Mitch Albom column in which Webber would like to be able to afford two filet-o-fish at McDonalds but could only get one? He was taking money at the time.

We still don't know if he was taking money at the time. He very well could've taken the money once he decided he was leaving after his Soph year and didn't feel like waiting a few more months. I'd love for that to eventually be pinpointed but that's wishful thinking, I'm sure.

[*JD*]

Sorry that a couple of pics were HUGE. Finding Loy Vaught at Michigan pics is tougher than I expected.

[Whitley]

I loved Jalen and CWebb from the Fab 5 era (the era I knew UM basketball best), but have to say Ray Jackson was my fave. A real shame he and Jimmy King never got a real shot at the NBA.

[Cody_Russell]

Going to miss Wagner. Amazing career.
From flashes as a freshman to having dominant performances as a sophomore/ junior. Best of luck to Herr Deutsch in the NBA. Definitely one of my favorites.

[Mainevent]

Sucks Mo is going pro but follow your dreams young man. He?s most likely not going in round 1, so was hoping he?d stick around one more year of college life and make another run at the title. But there?s certainly no guarantee he?d be in a better position next year.

[Kstat]

He’s going round 1. Maybe late but legit 7 footers that can shoot and handle like he can do not drop out of the first round anymore.