In 1991, five guys arrived in Ann Arbor, touted by many as being the best recruiting class ever. Watch them at their best and find out about the latest in their affairs with the University.
The Five:
C: Juwan Howard
PF: Chris Webber
SF: Ray Jackson
SG: Jimmy King
PG: Jalen Rose
Head Coach: Steve Fisher
[embed]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kho5kh3d0kI&t=4s[/embed]
Where are they now?
Howard was drafted 5th overall in 1994 by the Washington Bullets. He stayed in the NBA longer than any of the other four, and was the only to win a championship as a member of the 2012 Miami Heat. Howard's last contract ended in 2013, and he is now an assistant coach for the Heat.
Webber was the first of the five to leave school - and was taken #1 overall in the 1993 NBA draft. While his first team All-American honors were vacated, among many other stricken from the Michigan basketball record books resulting from the Ed Martin scandal, Webber went on to have an illustrious career mainly with the Sacramento Kings. He averaged 20.7 points and 9.8 rebounds, and his number was eventually retired by the Kings. He now works as an analyst for TNT.
Rose was the leading scorer of the five at Michigan. After his junior year, he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets and spent most of his career with the Indiana Pacers. He was a key member of the successful Pacers teams of the late 90s and finally retired in 2007 with the Phoenix Suns. He now does analysis with ESPN. It was determined that Rose was the only one of the five players called to the grand jury who did not receive a significant amount of money.
King stayed in Ann Arbor as a starter for all four years before being drafted 35th overall in the 2nd round. While his NBA career didn't flourish as his teammates' did, King currently lives in the Detroit area as the president and CEO of his company, J King Solar Technologies.
Jackson also remained in Ann Arbor for four years, but never made it to the NBA. He won the 1995-96 Continental Basketball Association (CBA) Rookie of the Year award, but gave up professional basketball not long after. He returned back to Austin, Texas, where he runs a non-profit called Ray Jackson's Rising Stars, assisting kids both on and off the court.
Coach Fisher took over as head coach at the end of the 1989 Championship team's regular season when Bill Frieder angered AD Bo Schembechler for prematurely accepting a new position elsewhere. Fisher was then fired in 1997 for his involvement in the Martin scandal. Since 1999, he's acted as head coach at San Diego State, and in 2011 was crowned Naismith Coach of the Year.
You may remember the Five making news last year when they reunited for the first time since their playing days. Those inside the locker room after the National Championship game said their message was positive and powerful - not gloating in the media spectacle, but instead focused on linking two important eras in Michigan Basketball history.
A few weeks later, on May 8, 2013, Michigan's 10 year NCAA-imposed disassociation with Chris Webber officially ended. At midnight that day, Webber tweeted this:
OK!!!
— Chris Webber (@realchriswebber) May 27, 2014
For now, the banners remain unhung in Crisler Arena. Michigan AD Dave Brandon has said that he's open to a renewed relationship. However, Rose has said that he doesn't believe the University will acknowledge any of the Fab Five without Webber making the first move.
Former Michigan PG Trey Burke said last year that he would "love to see" the banners re-raised.
Despite the drama that remains, it's impossible to argue the excitement and attention that the five teenagers generated for the University, and for the game itself.
