Fansided

Michigan basketball: All-time starting 5 – Fab Five well-represented

By Mike Phillips

8 Mar 1992: Michigan Wolverines forward Juwan Howard, guard Jalen Rose, and forward Chris Webber (l to r) look on during a game against the Indiana Pacers.
8 Mar 1992: Michigan Wolverines forward Juwan Howard, guard Jalen Rose, and forward Chris Webber (l to r) look on during a game against the Indiana Pacers. /
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Chris Weber #4 of the Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

3. F Chris Webber (1991-1993)

There may not have been a more hyped recruit ever to take the floor for Michigan than Webber. The crown jewel of the Fab Five, Webber became a star the second he took the floor for the Wolverines.

As a prep player, Webber led Detroit County Day School to three state championships, averaging 29.4 points per game and 13 rebounds per game as a senior. Webber was named the MVP of the McDonald’s All-American Game, the Naismith Prep Player of the Year in 1991, and Michigan’s Mr. Basketball for that year, so landing him was a huge coup for the hometown Wolverines.

Teaming up with Rose, Howard, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King, Webber helped lead the Michigan program to incredible heights. As freshmen, the Fab Five led Michigan all the way to the national championship game, where they lost to a Duke team led by Christian Laettner and Grant Hill.

Webber was the star of the group, being named the USBWA Freshman of the Year in 1992 and earning first-team All-American honors in 1993. Unfortunately for Webber, he will be forever remembered by Michigan fans for forgetting how many timeouts the team had in the 1993 championship game loss to North Carolina.

Webber’s relationship with the program has been strained by his relationship with booster Ed Martin, which ended up causing the school to vacate the Fab Five’s accomplishments. This team is more concerned with identifying the best lineup of Michigan players we can assemble, however, and Webber has to be on it.