Fab 5 and James Voskuil

Submitted by ItsaDamnGame on

I just finished watching the Fab 5 and enjoyed every minute of it.  James Voskuil was one of those upperclassmen that lost playing time.  Some of you may know more about his pro career in Europe and subsequent profession, but I was on Calvin Christian's JV Team when James was a senior. 

He took the time, after one of the varsity practices, to correct my shooting motion and checked in on me for the rest of that season to make sure I was working on what he had taught me.  He also took the time to encourage me - a sub on the jv team - after some of our games.  I was so happy for him to be on that '89 team and a part of those Fab 5 years, because he was(and is) a good person.

Feel free to fill in any information you may have on James, I just felt that he is one of those "Michigan Men" that we always hold high on this site.

energyblue1

March 14th, 2011 at 10:41 PM ^

Riley, Voskul and pelinka....   should have been a bigger part of the team then they were, and I still think that is the reason the fab5 wasn't more successfull...  Those guys were on a national championship team and I think they cost themselves by not making the other guys a big part of the team...particularly after they all became starters......  

 

I bet they all know it now and wish they did it a bit different with those guys but it's past now

jmblue

March 14th, 2011 at 11:19 PM ^

 I still think that is the reason the fab5 wasn't more successful

You know, they did win 56 games in two years and go to two national-title games.  You might be setting the bar a tad high.

shawnducati

March 15th, 2011 at 8:32 AM ^

you are an idiot. 

those 3 guys played great roles in the team, and were not in the Top 5 players, that is why they didnt start!

you sound like bill walton..saying they were overrated!

do you know they were 5 freshman and went on to national championship game?

do you know they were 5 sophomores and whent back to do the same?

go to msu site punk.

HAIL 2 VICTORS

March 15th, 2011 at 10:01 AM ^

Let me start by saying...Bill Walton is an ass.  Not for what he said about the Fab 5 that was simply ignorant but Bill has made quite the ass of himself on many occassion for a sustained period of time now.

That being said...I think Bill was trying to say that coming from UCLA that had done so much for so long at the time he played under Wooden that it was arrogant for a group of 5 freshman who had not yet so much won even a B10 title, been to the sweet 16 let alone the final four be so brash.

Considering what Walton had done from the program he played it would have been a challenge for anyone to look at the Fab5 and be anything less then turned off and perhaps even insulted.  No doubt "overrated" was the wrong term to use becuase they were 5 Frosh that would go on to the Championship game. 

In retorspect I thought Rose was contrite in saying they learned the hard way 3X that Duke had some game but asking Bill Walton to take in the Fab5's game objectively is asking the impossible.

jackrobert

March 15th, 2011 at 10:43 AM ^

My recollection is that Walton made the comments on Roy Firestone's show shortly before the 1993 NCAA tournament.  So by this time the Fab Five had taken Michigan to the Final Four.  I remember the timing of Walton's comments because it made Michigan's comeback win over UCLA in the second round of the 1993 tournament that much bigger--Walton would have been impossibly insufferable if UCLA had pulled off the upset.

That said, the nay-sayers had some ammunition in that Michigan did not win the Big Ten title their sophomore year (got swept by Indiana and lost in overtime, I believe, to Iowa), plus they had several close calls to perceived lesser teams (the OT win at Illinois was featured on the documentary . . . there were a couple others).  There were a lot of haters during the 1992-1993 season.  That's why the win over Kentucky was so huge.

AlwaysBlue

March 14th, 2011 at 10:43 PM ^

Good points about the forgotten guys.  It's funny, the Fab Five were looking for respect and in some ways still are and yet they forget who was brushed aside in their quest.  No question they were better then the role players but I wonder why some a question the university or rules being bigger than them.  It's just the natural order of respect when it comes to knowing ones place.

chewieblue

March 14th, 2011 at 10:59 PM ^

was an outstanding shooter and a key role guy.  

I recall Talley and Riley making key plays in the tourney runs when the 5 were trading foul trouble.

Also loved Pelinka.  The guy had some stones (was the only non Fab 5 guy on the floor at the end vs UNC).  Bottom line, the guys who were replaced were good players, but the 5... or at least 4... were great.

UMaD

March 15th, 2011 at 10:11 AM ^

I don't know how many clients Pelinka has (besides Kobe) but it would take a lot to get what an NBA player makes over 10-15 year career.  I imagine Pelinka makes more now, since Chris and Jalen are on TV and Juwan is on a minimum contract, but those guys started with a big head start on him.

umchicago

March 14th, 2011 at 11:31 PM ^

was pretty damn good by the time he graduated.  he couldn't miss that 10 ft bank shot. plus he blocked a lot of shots and grabbed his share of rebounds.

he had trouble holding on to the ball early in his career but improved every year.

in fact, i believe he had a much longer NBA career than 2 of those fab 5.

Kilgore Trout

March 15th, 2011 at 12:34 AM ^

From the first row of the upper deck, my view of Webber's time out was distant to say the least.  But that image is burned in my memory.  Pelinka was WIDE open on the other wing.  If Webber had seen him and he'd knocked down the shot, he would be a legend.

jmblue

March 14th, 2011 at 11:21 PM ^

I remember him coming off the bench to have a big game against Cincinnati in the Final Four.  After the game, the Bearcat players were like,  "Who was that?"

DY

March 14th, 2011 at 11:49 PM ^

Was immortalized in mural form on the wall by the door of the old Touchdown's Cafe (now Blue Lep), hanging in mid-air, making a double-clutch runner against Duke from the '92 title game.  I always thought it was hilarious that his likeness was on the wall and not one of the other guys.

West is Best

March 15th, 2011 at 12:42 AM ^

I too attended Calvin Christian, although many years later (class of 2006).  I did stats for our basketball team throughout high school and always got mini sports history lessons from the announcer or scoreboard guys.  Even though I don't have any vivid memories of the Fab 5 years of my youth, I got to know about Voskuil and am proud CCHS could hang with the big boys as an important role player.

ColoradoBlue

March 15th, 2011 at 12:50 AM ^

He was a terrific guy.  His girlfriend was quite possibly the hottest girl on campus.  She was batshit crazy, but very hot.  Last time I spoke with him was years ago when he was playing ball in France.

Section 1

March 15th, 2011 at 1:21 AM ^

Jalen was a good shooter, and clutch.  James Voskuil was a better pure shot, almost every day of the week.  I think Jalen would agree.

bvb24

March 15th, 2011 at 6:31 AM ^

I had no idea there were so many Squires on this site.  I was very young when James played at CCHS but remember him better from his Michigan days.  Just a side note but didn't James finish second in the Mr. Basketball voting his senior year to South Christian's Matt Steiginga?  Who went on to play for State.

ILL_Legel

March 15th, 2011 at 6:47 AM ^

I lived in Chicago House.  Several of the basketball players lived there as freshmen.  James was very down to earth and all around good guy,

Ihatebux

March 15th, 2011 at 10:57 AM ^

I lived in Chicago House too.   James was a great guy, so was Rob, but he wasn't as outgoing as James.   EZ was very shy frosh year, but if you could get him out of his shell, he was a hoot.   I still remember EZ walking on his hands with his feet on the ceiling.   Do you remember James' roommate.  He was about 5'2", a football cheerleader and powerlifter.   I think they weighed about the same.