Michigan basketball will forever be associated with the Fab Five. In the early 1990s, five freshmen were the greatest thing in college basketball, both on the court and off. Jalen Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King put the Wolverines on the map despite never winning the school a national championship in their time there. 20 years later as Michigan prepares to face Louisville for the national champion, the fab five are rumored to reunite and cheer on the team.
When the game tips off Monday night in Atlanta, four of five players that make up the Fab Five will be present in the Georgia Dome. The lone holdout will be Webber, who is not returning calls of texts from anyone, according to "The Michigan Insider." Webber has been main reason the Fab Five are either loved or hated in the state of Michigan. During the 1993 championship game against North Carolina, Webber called a critical time out that Michigan did not have, leading to the game winning shot by the Tar Heels and costing the team a championship.
Webber was also found guilty on one count of criminal contempt in 2002 after he lied about his involvement with Michigan booster Ed Martin. Martin had been fueling cash to Webber and several other players since they were young. The investigation resulted in Michigan vacating its entire 1992-93 season, as well as their 1992 Final Four appearance.
Webber currently resides in Atlanta is a part of the Turner Sports commentator staff. Rose admits there has been a big disconnect between Webber and the remaining members of the Fab Five. However, Rose did make a plea to Webber to get back in with the team and reconnect.
"I think he wants to disassociate himself with that moment (the timeout) and that school to rebuild himself mentally to say, 'My career started my rookie year in the NBA.' That's unfortunate," Rose said.
Rose, Howard, King and Jackson have all confirmed they will attend the championship game and cheer on the team they helped make famous for a period in time. King says that he hopes Webber has a change of heart and comes to the game, putting the past behind him.