KG (Kevin Garnett) wanted to hoop at Michigan
I just read an excerpt from Kevin Garnett's autobiography. It is linked from ESPN, and is a bit about Garnett's jump straight from HS to the NBA.
LINK: Kevin Garnett recalls the pickup game with Scottie Pippen that proved he could jump to the NBA.
In the excerpt, there's an interesting factoid I never knew: KG wanted to play for Michigan. He writes,
When I got my SAT and ACT scores, I was crushed. I’d tried my hardest and still failed to make the mark. Michigan wasn’t gonna let me in. Neither was North Carolina
Even though KG had played head to head against Scottie Pippen, KG's high school coach, William "Wolf" Nelson, was doubtful Garnett could make it straight to the NBA.
Wolf was a little skeptical. “You sure?” he asked. “What about North Carolina? What about Michigan? What about your dream of playing college ball?”
Wolf was right. That dream had lived in my heart ever since those games in Billy’s driveway in Mauldin, S.C. when I would pretend to be C-Webb to his Laettner.
“Dreams change,” I told Wolf. “This new dream is something I can grab onto. Right now.”
Man, what it would have been like with KG playing for Michigan. Last week I watched tape of the Fab 5, and watching C-Webb on the floor was just incredible. He was electric. His ability to easily and massively dunk, to block shots, to run down the court with the ball, was mind-blowing. I wouldn't mind seeing some of that swagger return.
We landed on the moon y’all!!
Ok, I went back 3 days worth of posts mgoblog. Did I miss it being linked in another post? If so, well, I screwed up. If not, and this is common knowledge, well, somehow I missed it and never knew.
Very well known information & Sam Webb has mentioned it multiple times on the MGoBlog Round Table podcast including twice within the last month or so
I see . . . yeah, I don't much listen to podcasts, so that (partially) explains my ignorance. I didn't see it posted in any threads. Thanks.
It was common knowledge before the podcast world was around. But good share since some fans weren't paying attention 20 years ago.
You probably didn’t know this, but Derek Jeter wanted to play for Michigan also, but went straight to the pros instead.
Nah, it's good SRK. It was pretty much the assumption that KG was going to UM. Thanks for the link to affirm what we missed out on, I have not seen the devil in the details like this.
Sports Illustrated put him on the cover on June 26, 1995 when he was still in high school (when that was both extremely rare and kind of a huge deal).
Even that article mentioned Michigan would be the likely destination if he had received a qualifying ACT. KG was noncommittal in the article (this was after the window was closed):
Had he earned a qualifying score before the pro freight train got a full head of steam, would he now be buying Michigan T-shirts instead of getting measured for a size-52 suit to wear on draft night? "I'm not sure," says Garnett. "But the one thing that bothers me is everybody thinking I just, you know, got into this without thinking it over. I thought about it a lot, and I think I'm ready."
But follow up articles had quotes from his mom to the effect that "everyone knew he was going to Michigan."
No embarrassment, it's kind of been lost in history except to Michigan fans who have it filed away in our deep "WHAT IF" cabinet, the latest addition to which is "what if we'd had a healthy Isaiah Livers."
This isn't exactly breaking news, Kass.
Yup, pretty common knowledge.
It's alright if you didn't know but it was common knowledge. We were KG's top choice.
Yeah, KG would've been spectacular at Michigan. And we probably would've had him for at least 2 years (since very few exited after just 1 season in that era).
It would've bee nice to add a Hall of Famer to our alumni base.
But things turned out alright for KG, no?
I think it's been something that has been talked about previously; though KG did add in either Duke and/or UNC on later interviews.
But Michigan is consistently mentioned in terms of colleges the KG would have attended.
Blame admissions I guess!
KG is great though. Unbelievable player back in the day
Hilarious interview on Jimmy Kimmel - talks about some college recruiter coming to his grandmas house with a bag of money...shockingly has a big surprise at the end with...Kenny G?!
Not the fault of our admissions. He needed to hit the NCAA minimum on the SAT or ACT. Until he did that, he wasn’t eligible to play anywhere as a freshman.
Kevin Garnett wanted to hoop at Michigan. Derek Jeter wanted to hit at Michigan. I wanted to ball at Michigan.
One of these things is not like the other
Yep. One of the biggest recruiting “so close” in UM sports history, but most people close to the program in 95/96’ are certain had KG qualified, he would have suited up for Michigan. It’s even said he was more or less “verbally committed”, back before that really carried the context that it does now. He was planning to play at Michigan and came up just short grades wise.
It’s amazing to think about what a guy with his talent and intensity would have done for the program. He’s no doubt one of those unique talents that would have changed the course of history in Michigan basketball.
thankfully, the program has been able to put itself back amongst the tier I programs in college basketball, which makes this story more fun than painful.
Would have been so cool to see him suit up for Michigan, but congrats to KG on an amazing NBA career and HOF induction. He was one of the most entertaining and talented basketball players I’ve ever watched. The “Big Ticket”!
I knew at the time he wanted to come here, but didn't know he couldn't qualify, and figured he instead chose to make the jump.
I remember him taking pictures at the Magic Roundball Classic HS all star game with Albert White & I think Tractor Traylor b/c it was pretty much known they were going to be teammates at Michigan.
This was common knowledge. We recruited him at the time but it looked like wouldn’t qualify academically and eventually he started thinking about the NBA.
Kevin Garnett is a world-class jerk. I'm not sad he never played at Michigan.
You have to admit he was good in Uncut Gems, though.
about the only thing good in that movie was his performance. the rest was 2+ hrs of nausea inducing garbage. predictable ending that should’ve happened an hr earlier.
Agree. That movie was stupid
What?
There was word Kobe was a Michigan lean as well.
Really? If there was, I don't believe those rumors. He likely would've gone to Duke or North Carolina.
Kobe himself addressed this but has flip-flopped on it.
At certain times, he said he would've gone to Duke because he liked Coach K.
At other times, he said he would've gone to North Carolina because he wanted to play against Vince Carter every day in practice.
This is pretty much how I remember it too... Definitely a 2 horse race between Duke & UNC... But the UNC angle was more attributed to the Michael Jordan association iinm.
No doubt. Kobe had a SWF obsession with Jordan. If he had gone to college, it would've been NC.
Nah. You’re thinking of Eric Lindross
I still remember when he didn't make the grades to play at um
There was an even bigger basketball recruiting miss in the 1960s: Lew Alcindor gave Michigan strong consideration, as he did St. John’s, before picking UCLA and the Wizard of Westwood.
There was an even bigger basketball recruiting miss in the 1960s: Lew Alcindor gave Michigan strong consideration, as he did St. John’s, before picking UCLA and the Wizard of Westwood.