Prove you are a Michigan Basketball fan
The joke replies in the "Michigan Basketball Resurgence" post made me think that this would be a good post. (and it is my first ever).
List your favorite michigan basketball players from the years that the teams were not as easy to watch as they've been the last few years.
My cool story bro - I shared freshman year orientation with Avery Queen and Josh Moore - one 7'3" and the other 5'8". They drove around in a red ford tempo.
My favorite player? Probably Senior year Graham Brown.
The first two that come to mind for me are Maceo Baston and LaVell Blanchard. Maceo played in some years with a few decents teams but LaVell was always a trooper and reprensented the school and the team so well! Wish he would have acheived more success while at Michigan. I also tried so hard to root for Lester Abram. That guy might have had more injuries then any player EVER.
Lester Abram came to mind as well. I always thought he could have been pretty good, but he had some bad injuries if I remember correctly.
I also recall being pretty enthusiastic for the Blanchard, Crawford, Gaines freshman years ('99?). It also had Gronginger and one other guy whose name isn't coming (I think he was from MA, but he didn't do much at U-M). As a group they were a "new 5" that seemed like the were going to bring the program back. And for awhile...but then Crawford got suspened, Gronginger didn't become the second coming of Stauskas, Gaines went to Houston (?), and Blanchard had to go it alone.
Also, I feel like the first Sims/Harris combo, that being Courtney and Dion, gets over looked a lot. Thankful for all the players who stuck around the program to at least make it a somewhat watchable.
I am 32 and used to have a Jalen Rose jersey back in the early and middle 1990s. I wish I still had that thing.
Daniel Horton. That guy was the bomb and for the longest time in my life was the best I ever saw Michigan put out on that floor, personally (born in 1995) up until the Beilein era began in 2007-08.
Horton for me also. I still think back to listening to all those non-conference games we weren't on tv for when I was a kid.
As much as I and many others hate on the BTN, they changed our lives as fans forever.
We can now watch every single men's basketball game. And if you have a subscription to the BTN-powered MGoBlueTV, you are ensured to see every home game for Michigan Women's Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Hockey, Men's and Women's Lacrosse as well as many events for every sport.
I went to one of the Michigan basketball camps when I was a kid and he was a great guy. Heck I'll credit him with actually helping me learn how to shoot the right way.
Having season tickets since 97 has really led to an appreciation for where this program has gone. From witnessing sparty blow us out at crisler with the entire upper deck full of spartans to beating them six of the last eight. I'm an incredibly happy fan who's just enjoying the ride.
Move Along
Gary Grant was my all-time fav.
I still think back to the days (and nights) that I could catch the games in ohio on WJR and Chuck Swirsky did the play by play. Being in Illinois now I'm still reminded of him since he's on comercials and things because he does Bulls games now.
Also, Zak Irvin sort of reminds me of Willie Mitchell. Never saw a shot they didn't like. I think Zak is a more well rounded player even now and with this coach??? Zak could be pretty scary down the road.
I wouldn't really say Grant played on teams that were hard to watch.
I forget the year but I swear it was one of the first basketball games I watched Michigan play on TV. He hit a winning shot against ohio. Still remember that.
I didn't start watching Michigan basketball till we beat #4 UCLA in the Garden so I have no older players I like. Though when we beat UCLA I thought "Oh..somethin is goin down here" and lo, it did go down
he complained about every foul called against him.
Makhtar perfected the hands up, clueless..."Wha, me?!" look.
Eric Riley
Bobby Crawford
Later on transferred to San Francisco
Did Huggy Bear's kid ever play basketball?? He was a pretty good freshman RB for football and he was supposed to do track, but don't think he ever played bball.
Justin Fargas. Transferred to 'SC, then had a cup of coffee with the Raiders.
Justin Fargas (who was Huggy Bear's kid) was here as a freshman football player. He got injured here, eventually transferred to USC and actually played in the NFL for a little bit
the game against wisky when justin's knee got bent in a direction that it shouldn't have... one of the worse injuries that i have ever seen live...
"Air Georgia" aka Brent Petway was the most entertaining to watch.
Great dunker and rebounder and could do absolutely nothing else, and it was awesome. (And if you're thinking GR3, just know that Petway was an even better dunker, a great rebounder and incredibly bad at all other basketball activities).
That's a good point. I remember his incredible dunks but he averaged something like 5 points a game.
Plus, he would change up his hair from time to time.
One game he came out with his hair trimmed/shaved into a Michigan football helmet. *THAT*. *WAS*. *AWESOME*.
Here's a sweet (h)Air Jordan he had as well:
Petway was also on the Harlem Globtrotters from 2010-2011.
http://www.washtenawvoice.com/2010/12/ums-petway-thunders-onto-globetro…
First michigan basketball game ever watched was Michigan at UCLA in 2002. They were 5-6 after starting 0-6. Daniel Horton was my favorite player at that time
Rob Pelinka
He was on the National Title team in 1989, then helped the Fab Five reach the National Championship game in 1992 and 1993, then goes to Harvard Law, then becomes Kobe Bryant's agent!!!
Beat that.
Loved Jamal Crawford.
Big fan of Albert White too.
Awesome post, great names
Glad you mentioned him. I was a big fan of White for the one year he was at UM. I thought he had a great game but he never lived up to his potential. Also Olivier Saint Jean was pretty good too.