Former Fab Five player hopes to mend Michigan fences
2/23/2008 4:29 PM
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) - Jalen Rose's memories from his days as a member of the Fab Five at Michigan don't match the history books.
On Saturday, he tried to move toward fixing that.
Rose was honored at halftime of Michigan's game against Illinois for his charitable work in Detroit. But there was a deeper meaning to the event.
``I guess this is a day to start moving in the right direction,'' Rose said before the game. ``I see this as the first step.''
Rose was a member of the most famous group in Michigan basketball history - the Fab Five. Rose, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Ray Jackson and Jimmy King led the Wolverines to the national title game as freshmen in 1992, and repeated the feat as sophomores in 1993.
There's no evidence of that in Crisler Arena, however. Because of Webber's involvement with booster Ed Martin, the school has vacated the records from both seasons. The Final Four banners are in storage, and the Wolverines have an official record of 0-70 for those two seasons.
Rose was greeted by a standing ovation when he took his seat shortly before the opening tip, and again during the halftime ceremony.
``Every time you see the black shoes, the black socks and the baggy shorts, the Fab Five lives,'' he told the crowd at halftime. ``And I'll be back here one day when those banners go back up.''
Until then, while Rose doesn't agree with the decision, he tries not to lose any sleep over it.
``It's not like I'm on campus every day, so it isn't something I have to see all of the time to make me upset,'' he said. ``Ultimately, the admiration for the university is still there.''
One of Rose's Fab Five teammates also hoped that Saturday's ceremony might start a healing process.
``Maybe this will help to mend some fences,'' King said. ``It hurts to not be able to see our accomplishments.''
Because of Rose's 13-year NBA career, he hadn't seen a game at Crisler since his playing days. He spoke to the team before the game, but was ready to do more.
``When I saw the guys come off the Illinois bus, I was ready to suit up,'' he joked. ``I've got as much nervous energy as if I was playing today.''
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