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UNITED STATES - APRIL 05: College Basketball: NCAA Final Four, Michigan Fab Five (L-R) Jimmy King (24), Ray Jackson (21), Chris Webber (4), Juwan Howard (25), and Jalen Rose (5) on court during game vs North Carolina, New Orleans, LA 4/5/1993 (Photo by John W. McDonough/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (SetNumber: X44178 TK4 R14 F7)
The first member of the Fab Five comes in at No. 8 on our list of the top-25 Michigan men’s basketball players since 1989. He was the vocal leader of the crew, a hometown hero, and remains a face of the University of Michigan and its basketball program. The great, Jalen Rose.
No. 8 – Jalen Rose – Score: 124.2
Before we get into this, we’ve stayed true to our scoring model for this entire series. I really liked 95 percent of the outcome, but Rose was snubbed. He deserves to be higher for his profound impact during his tenure with the team, and the advocate and supporter he remains to be for the program. If we were ranking Michigan Men, Rose would probably be No. 1 for his brand, impact and philanthropic efforts for the state.
For six of the seven guys ahead of him, on the court, you can make a case, but I’d probably have Rose in the top-five if I deviated from the model, which scored stats, individual awards, and team success. With the Fab Five not winning a Big Ten championship nor a Big Ten Tournament (because it didn’t exist yet) and a lack of individual awards until his final season, Rose took a bit of a hit in the model, landing him at No. 8.
Rose, a Detroit native, was a starter for three seasons and the highest scorer of the Fab Five, setting the freshman scoring record (at the time) with 597 points while averaging 17.6 points per game. In their first national title run, Rose was phenomenal, scoring 25 points and collecting in 11 rebounds in a Sweet 16 matchup with Oklahoma State. Then, he followed it up with a 20-point performance in the Elite Eight overtime thriller against Ohio State. Despite a loss in the National Championship to Duke, Rose was named to the All-Tournament Team, but did not receive any other honors from the conference or nationally.
His freshman season was the beginning of an iconic era for the Wolverines, with Rose at the heart of it. He started every game as a sophomore, but dropped off a bit in terms of scoring, going from 17.6 points per game to 15.4 points per game in his second season. Michigan became must-watch television because of their unique style, both with their baggy uniforms and black socks and their pure on-court dominance, going 31-4.
One of the biggest wins in the Fab Five’s tenure was in the Final Four vs Kentucky. The Wildcats had been on one of the best runs in NCAA Tournament history, winning their first four games by an average of 31 points and winning each by 20 or more points. Many saw them as the favorites to win it all, but the Wolverines held them to a tournament-low 78 points in the overtime battle. Rose was instrumental in the game, scoring 18 of Michigan’s 81 points and drilling two key free throws after making a defensive stop in the final seconds of the game.
Once again, the Wolverines came up just short of a national title, losing to North Carolina.
Webber’s departure brought the conclusion of the Fab Five, but the other four remained heading into 1993-94. Rose took advantage of the larger opportunity, scoring the third-most points in the Big Ten his junior year behind only Michigan State’s Shawn Respert and one of the greatest college basketball seasons of all-time from Glenn Robinson at Purdue (averaging 30.3 points per game). Rose averaged a career-high 19.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, earning him nods for All-Big Ten and All-American honors for the first time in his career.
Rose finished his three-year tenure as a Wolverine with 1,788 points, then ranked as No. 8 all-time despite others above him having four-year careers. He was one of the faces of the most memorable run in the history of the program and helped it make strides culturally for its swagger and dominance. Had there not been a scandal attached to this team, it likely could have been the start of something much bigger in Ann Arbor. Rose is a top-10 Michigan men’s basketball player ever and has a legacy that will be remembered for a long, long time.
More in this series:
- The Top 25 Michigan men’s basketball players since 1989: No. 25-23
- The Top 25 Michigan men’s basketball players since 1989: No. 22-20
- The Top 25 Michigan men’s basketball players since 1989: No.19-17
- The Top 25 Michigan men’s basketball players since 1989: No. 16-14
- The Top 25 Michigan men’s basketball players since 1989: No. 13-11
- The Top 25 Michigan men’s basketball players since 1989: No. 10
- The Top 25 Michigan men’s basketball players since 1989: No. 9
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