The Wolverine

October 2020

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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OCTOBER 2020 THE WOLVERINE 33 squad the following year. He concluded his time at Michigan with 1,526 points and 745 rebounds, making him one of just seven play- ers in school history to eclipse 1,500 points and 700 rebounds. The Chicago native left the Wolver- ines following a junior season that saw him average 20.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per contest. Howard was the fifth overall pick of the Washing- ton Bullets in the 1994 NBA Draft. Despite his early exit, Howard re- turned to graduate from Michigan's College of Literature, Science and the Arts in 1995, later calling the attain- ment of his degree the greatest accom- plishment of his life. He was hired to serve as Michi- gan's head coach on May 22, 2019, and capped his first season on the job with a 19-12 campaign before the postseason was canceled. 8. G GARY GRANT (1985-88) His Michigan career began with a bang, when he took home the Big Ten's Freshman of the Year Award in 1984-85 after averaging 12.9 points and guiding the Wolverines to a league title. After logging 12.2 points as a soph- omore, Grant's career really took off in 1986-87, when he posted 22.4 points per outing and set the school record for steals in a season (86, which still stands to this day) en route to first- team All-Big Ten recognition. Nicknamed "The General," the 6-3 guard averaged 21.1 points, reeled in consensus All-America recognition and took home the Big Ten's Player of the Year award in his final campaign. He also won the league's Defensive Player of the Year honor each of his final two seasons. Grant's 234 assists as a senior stand as the fifth most in a campaign in Michigan history. The Canton, Ohio, native's 731 total assists are the most by any player ever at U-M, while his 2,222 career points check in fourth. 9. C BILL BUNTIN (1963-65) The 6-7 center helped lead the Wol- verines to their first-ever Final Four appearances in 1964 and 1965. Buntin burst onto the scene as a sophomore in 1962-63, compiling 22.3 points and 15.7 boards per game. The club went 16-8 overall and just 8-6 in league play, but took off the following year thanks in large part to the emer- gence of teammate Cazzie Russell. In 1963-64, Buntin increased his scoring average to 23.2 points (to go along with 12.5 rebounds), earned All- America accolades, and led the Maize and Blue to a Big Ten championship and their first trip to the Final Four. That success carried over into Bun- tin's senior campaign of 1964-65 when the Wolverines went 24-4 and won a second straight league title, before falling to UCLA in its first-ever na- tional title game appearance. The De- troit native tallied 20.1 points and 11.5 rebounds per contest that season, tak- ing home All-America honors for the second straight year. Buntin concluded his tenure with 1,725 points and 1,037 rebounds, the latter of which ranks second in school history. In honor of his outstanding career, Michigan's best performer is now rewarded with the Bill Buntin Most Valuable Player award on an annual basis. 10. G RICKEY GREEN (1976-77) He donned the Maize and Blue as a 6-2 guard, coming to Ann Arbor af- ter two junior college seasons at Vin- cennes University in Indiana. Though Green gained a reputation for his defensive prowess, he aver- aged 19.9 points per game as a junior in 1975-76 to pace a Wolverine squad that advanced all the way to the na- tional championship game, where they fell to Bob Knight's Indiana crew. The Chicago native claimed All-Big Ten honors, All-America honorable mention status and U-M's team MVP award as a result. Green carried that success into his senior season of 1976-77, when he av- eraged 19.5 points per game while leading Michigan to a 26-4 record and a 16-2 league mark that culminated with a Big Ten title. The Maize and Blue advanced to the NCAA Tourna- ment's Sweet Sixteen that year, but were knocked out by Charlotte. Green was tabbed as a consensus member of the All-Big Ten and All- America teams at season's end, while finishing as the runner-up (to UCLA's Marques Johnson) for the game's Col- legiate Player of the Year Award. Former U-M head coach Johnny Orr (1968-80) once referred to Green, who was known for his speed and elite leaping ability, as "the most ex- citing college basketball player in the country." ❏ Former consensus All-American and Big Ten Player of the Year Gary Grant still holds the school record with 731 career assists, while he ranks fourth all time with 2,222 points scored. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Center Bill Buntin — who the program's annual MVP award is named after — helped lead the Wolverines to their first-ever Final Four appearances in 1964 and 1965. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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