ANN ARBOR -- When the Michigan men's basketball team began official practices for the 2017-18 season, C.J. Baird was a student manager. Rico Ozuna-Harrison didn't have even that much of a connection to the program. Five months later, they were in the locker room celebrating a Final Four victory.
John Beilein, a former walk-on at Wheeling Jesuit, calls Michigan's walk-ons the "Fab Five." This season, that group consisted of four freshmen. Baird was moved from manager to the official roster hours before the first exhibition game. Ozuna-Harrison had tried out for a spot before the season but wasn't added to the team until mid-December.