The Fab Five: Changes in Basketball

Jimmy King, Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Ray Jackson, and Juwan Howard changed college basketball forever. I recently re-watched ESPN's documentary the "Fab Five" of these five Michigan Wolverine freshman and it made me realize how much these guys changed the game of college basketball and how we look at it today. If you watched college basketball before these guys came along you would have thought that things were never going to change and that the guys would be wearing short shorts for years to come. When the five freshman got to the Ann Arbor campus before the 1992 season, they had the idea of changing things. It started when Detroit native Jalen Rose wanted some longer basketball shorts to wear during practice and games, that started what would be a revolution for the game of basketball. Next to come were the all black Nike shoes, and the high black Nike socks, then the loose jerseys, the attitude they played with, the style they played with. The Fab Five had it all. The first big test they would have would be a match up against Duke, the defending National Champions lead by what Jalen Rose would describe as "the guys teams like Duke wanted to recruit", such as Grant Hill and Christian Laettner. Although they lost to Duke in overtime, the five freshman were able to hang around with the Blue Devils. It was the first time the nation had the chance to see what was happening at Michigan and it caught everyone's eye because no one had seen the swag, style, and attitude these guys played with before. Then on February 9, 1992 against Notre Dame, Michigan started five freshman, those freshman scored all the points for the Wolverines. The team went onto the National Championship game against North Carolina and eventually lost to Dean Smith and the Tar Heels, but the impact of that starting five has been felt since that season. If you look at the game now and the way it's played, and he swagger guys play with, that wouldn't have been possible if those five freshman didn't have that idea of change. That 1992 Michigan Wolverine basketball team was one of the most influential teams in college sports history, they changed college basketball the way the Miami Hurricanes of the 1980's changed college football. The basketball shoes we lace up today, the style we see and play with wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for the Fab Five. As Jalen Rose put it, "I bet you couldn't tell me who was on that North Carolina team that beat us". Change can be good, just ask every basketball player playing today.