MBB: Spike and the all-time ALL-GRIT team
Spike Albrecht has become one of my all-time favorites. The fact that he looks like he should be delivering my groceries instead of making Sportscenter highlights in D-1 college basketball makes it all the better. The guy is pissed to lose! So, let's play a game. Name your all-time Michigan basketball All-Grit players. Doesn't have to be just five guys, or five positions. The bench is deep. My first group without thinking about it too much.
Spike Albrecht
Zack Novak
Ray Jackson
Gary Grant
Steve Grote
Butch Wade
Loy Vaught
February 13th, 2015 at 1:10 PM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 1:12 PM ^
Ha, I posted Graham Brown before I realized the REAL Graham Brown had already put himself on the list!
February 13th, 2015 at 11:17 AM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 11:17 AM ^
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February 13th, 2015 at 2:00 PM ^
...if for no other reason, the name association.
February 13th, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^
How is Jordan Morgan not on the list?
February 13th, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
What a silly question - have you ever SEEN Jordan Morgan? I'm pretty sure he's not white. So he's excluded from gritty as well as "most hustle", "deceptively fast" and "hardest working" lists.
Now - Jordan would easily make the list for his "athleticism".
Or so say virtually every announcer/writer in America.
February 13th, 2015 at 11:34 AM ^
You are half right.
February 13th, 2015 at 11:53 AM ^
Jordan Morgan would be described as a "class act." Racial code words in journalism, man.
Black guys-- Class acts, pure athletes, sometimes refered to as "raw athletes"
White guys--High IQ, gym rats, workhorse, scrappy. Never referred to as an athlete, instead "high motor"
Latino guys--Firecrackers... I need more latino terms so if someone could help me fill that out, that'd be awesome.
February 13th, 2015 at 1:41 PM ^
Don't forget "well spoken" for black guys.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:49 PM ^
They can also be described as a "hot head" if he likes to fight
February 13th, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^
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February 13th, 2015 at 11:41 AM ^
Um...original list is 4 black guys, 3 white guys. Grit is subjective of course, but you kind of know it when you see it.
February 13th, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 11:46 AM ^
while burke was certainly in possession of a good deal of grit, it paled in comparison to his other attributes. i think in this context grit almost has to imply a lack of raw talent that trey had in spades.
now excuse me while i go watch highlights of the kansas game for the ~400th time.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:10 PM ^
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February 13th, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^
He's short and white, sure, but he is a very, very skilled player. He impresses me by dribbling circles around guys, making circus passes/shots, and hitting super long range threes. He plays hard, but making hustle plays would be way down the list of things he excels at, IMO.
And Jordan Morgan has to be on the list.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:01 PM ^
confident
February 13th, 2015 at 12:33 PM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 11:24 AM ^
A freaking 6'2" power forward on the 1975 NCAA runner-up team has to be on this squad. Hell just about every member of the 75 team (except maybe Dave Baxter - he wasn't gritty, he was oh-so stylish) could be listed.
February 13th, 2015 at 1:54 PM ^
incomplete without Wayman Britt. Guy just never quit against always taller competition.
Phil Hubbard was also tough as nails taking on Kent Benson and Co. That 75 team defined grit.
And Dave Baxter's afro was the most incredible hairdo in the sporting world in recent times, right up there with Gene Keady for sheer awesomeness and "How does he do that?"
February 13th, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 11:36 AM ^
Freddie Hunter.
Also, even though he didn't play a ton and ended up playing football for Bo after a couple of years, Paul Jokisch was always throwing himself around.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:16 PM ^
This. Freddie Hunter is #1 on my list. Dude was a rebounding machine at 6'4"-6'5".
Also, Mike Griffin and Graham Brown.
February 13th, 2015 at 6:57 PM ^
Gritty guys don't get the ball at the free throw line, wide open, and look desperately to pass the ball. They grit their way to the hoop and grittily draw a foul or get knocked down or something. Anything but get the deer in the headlights look. That guy confounded me. He was a 30 PPG scorer in high school, but looked like he'd never seen a basketball when he played for UofM.
EDIT: plus, he looked like Richie Cunningham. Richie Cunningham was not gritty. Ralph Malph? Gritty. Potsie Webber? Not gritty.
February 13th, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
Tai Streets...okay I just wanted to randomly remind everyone that Tai Streets played basketball too.
Also, in thinking back through this, I'm realizing it's pretty tough to add any players from the Amaker era since grit/toughness was one of the many things his squads tended to lack every year.
February 13th, 2015 at 11:44 AM ^
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February 13th, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
If you're gonna say Novak can't forget about Stu Douglass Co-Captains of Team GRIT
February 13th, 2015 at 11:55 AM ^
Literally every name I thought of when I saw this title is on your list.
Well done.
Edit: I might add Rumeal Robinson.
February 13th, 2015 at 11:54 AM ^
I'd put JM on this list above anyone. Nobody did more with less. JM was asked to guard NBA-caliber bigs and won his fair share of those. This from a 2-star recruit who came in without any particular skillset and below average athleticism and below average size.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:02 PM ^
Dan Fife.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:17 PM ^
Do you mean Dugan Fife?
February 13th, 2015 at 1:11 PM ^
But he also bred Dane Fife, so no thanks.
February 13th, 2015 at 5:15 PM ^
Ah, didn't realize (or remember) that. I knew about Dugan's brother, Dane (boo hiss)
February 13th, 2015 at 12:17 PM ^
Not the actor, but the BB guy.
His middle name was Grit. Not really, but shoulda been.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:20 PM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 1:12 PM ^
And...no one said he had to be good. He just had to have grit.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:39 PM ^
Graham Brown was literally the first and second responses.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:21 PM ^
February 13th, 2015 at 12:31 PM ^
If that happens to you, you should definitely see a doctor.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
Juwan Howard.
February 13th, 2015 at 3:49 PM ^
I'm not sure grit and Juwan are that associative.
February 13th, 2015 at 4:36 PM ^
was the grit of the Fab Five teams. Just because you are a big time recruit doesn't mean you are precluded from being gritty.
Juwan was a great hard nosed player. Many times he took on the other team's biggest guy and physically battled all game. He never backed down from anyone. Had a great, physical back to the basket game.
February 13th, 2015 at 7:40 PM ^
I think Juwan's post-up moves were too smooth to be called gritty.
February 16th, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^
was the glue. Ray Jackson was the grit. Jimmy King brought the attitude and Jalen had the swagger.
Webber was just happy that he had some friends to hang out with that liked him for him, and not because he was some basketball superstar.
February 13th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
in a long, long time here. Players I hadn't thought about in. . . okay, I'm old.